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Jets Expected To Trade QB Zach Wilson

January 7th, 2024 at 4:50pm CST by Ely Allen

It appears that Zach Wilson‘s time in New York may finally be over, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The writing has been on the wall for quite a while, but things seem to finally be playing out for an eventual departure. Rapoport reports that the Jets will attempt to trade the former No. 2 overall pick this offseason.

Since being selected nearly three years ago, Wilson has failed to live up to his lofty draft status. In his three seasons, Wilson has started 33 games, accumulating a career record of 12-21. Even during his best stretches of play, Wilson has had a tendency to underwhelm. When he was able to win five of his nine starts in 2022, he still threw more interceptions than touchdowns and was eventually demoted all the way down to third-string. This year, despite finally throwing more touchdowns (8) than interceptions (7), Wilson was only able to lead the Jets to a 4-7 record as a starter, once again getting benched.

In his career as a Jet, Wilson has averaged only 185 yards per game, tossing only 23 touchdowns in 34 games while throwing for 25 total interceptions. Still, there’s likely to be a bit of interest in the one-time college star. Wilson’s high draft slot was solidified after a single strong season at BYU. After combining for 23 passing touchdowns, five rushing touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in his freshman and sophomore years as a Cougar, Wilson delivered his decisive season in 2020, completing 73.5 percent of his passes for 33 touchdowns to only three interceptions, adding 10 more scores on the ground.

There’s likely to be a number of teams interested in chasing that magical season. A team like the Commanders could provide him with a backup job while allowing him a chance to compete for a starting position. The Colts could prove a good opportunity for playing time if Anthony Richardson‘s injury trouble persists. For those who may wonder how likely it is that Wilson gets released for a lack of trade interest, Rapoport asserts that “quarterbacks get traded,” and he doesn’t have any expectation that Wilson will be released.

Wilson was made aware during this season that his tenure in New York was coming to an end. When he was benched in favor of Tim Boyle this year, the team informed him that they had plans to flip him in the offseason, per Dianna Russini of The Athletic. His awareness of a lack of a future with the team understandably contributed to his reluctance to return to a starting role later in the season when asked.

Wilson was placed on injured reserve yesterday with two purposes in mind. Firstly, Wilson has been dealing with a concussion, and with nothing left to play for, it made sense to keep him out of play. Secondly, taking him off the active roster allowed the team the ability to bring a practice squad player up to the 53-man roster, giving the Jets the option to avoid the player hitting free agency. With offensive lineman Jake Hanson and tight end Jeremy Ruckert also being placed on IR, running back Xazavian Valladay, linebacker Marcelino McCrary-Ball, offensive lineman Chris Glaser, and defensive lineman Bruce Hector were granted their opportunities to make a case for a roster spot next year.

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