The New York Jets have given embattled quarterback Zach Wilson permission to seek a trade, general manager Joe Douglas told reporters Wednesday.
Douglas’ confirmation comes weeks after Wilson played what many assume to be his final game with the team that drafted him No. 2 in the 2021 NFL Draft. In 34 career games, Wilson has thrown for 6,293 yards and 23 touchdowns against 25 interceptions.
Joe Douglas gave Zach Wilson permission to talk to other teams about a trade. #Jets
— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) February 28, 2024
In December, Jets coach Robert Saleh declined to confirm or deny a report that the team told Wilson it would trade him after the season.
Wilson was expected to back up Aaron Rodgers in the 2023 season, but was thrust back into the starting role after Rodgers tore his Achilles in Week 1. Wilson once again struggled and was benched for Tim Boyle in Week 12. But after Boyle and Trevor Siemian proved ineffective, the team turned back to Wilson, who was reluctant to take back the job, multiple team sources said.
Wilson produced arguably the best game of his career in his return, throwing for 301 yards and two touchdowns in a win. He suffered a concussion against the Miami Dolphins the next week and would later be ruled out for the season.
Should Wilson be moved, his Jets tenure will end with a 12-21 record in his 33 career starts.
The writing has been on the wall
The Jets giving Wilson permission to seek a trade is notable, but not a surprise. When Saleh benched Wilson for Boyle during the season, Saleh told him that the Jets would look into trading him in the offseason. The writing has been on the wall dating back to 2022 when he was benched multiple times, and now Wilson will almost certainly get a chance to latch on with another team. Jets owner Woody Johnson said recently that the Jets didn’t have a backup quarterback last season — which felt like a shot at Wilson too. — Zack Rosenblatt, Jets beat writer
What could the Jets get in return?
It will be interesting to see what sort of market the Jets can find for Wilson in a trade. He’s not expected to garner anything more than a late-round draft pick — and even that isn’t guaranteed. If the Jets do trade him they’ll save $5.4 million while incurring a $5.7 million dead cap penalty. If they can’t find a trade and wind up releasing him, they wouldn’t save any money and would be stuck with a $11.1 million cap charge.
The Jets are expected to be aggressive in pursuing a veteran backup quarterback for Rodgers in free agency or via trade. Some players the Jets are expected to consider include Jacoby Brissett, Gardner Minshew and Ryan Tannehill. — Rosenblatt
Required reading
(Photo: Rich Storry / Getty Images)
