Zach Wilson will start at quarterback for the New York Jets in their preseason opener against the Cleveland Browns Thursday night. Future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers will be in street clothes on the sidelines.
This situation will look vastly different once New York opens the regular season on September 11 against the Buffalo Bills. But for now, Wilson will be given a shot to prove that his struggles as a sophomore are behind him.
In talking about his young backup ahead of the Hall of Fame Game, Rodgers lobbed praise in Wilson’s direction.
“He has played really, really well in camp. He’s made a number of great throws. He looks confident. His fundamentals are improving,” Rodgers told reporters during Jets training camp. “He’s throwing the ball on time. He’s got all the intangibles. I think he’ll look back years from now and be really thankful for this time to grow, to reset, to take a breath, and it’s going to set him up for a nice long career in the league.”
When the Jets made an all-out push to acquire Rodgers this past offseason, it seemed to be a foregone conclusion that Wilson would be traded. Instead, the two have worked well with one another during camp. It shows in the way Rodgers is describing how his young counterpart has performed.
A veteran of 18 NFL seasons, Rodgers also knows how the situation played out in Jersey a season ago. Wilson was in over his head as the Jets starter, struggling to the tune of six touchdowns and seven interceptions in nine starts. There were also signs of immaturity on the part of the former No. 2 pick. For Rodgers, the hope is that Wilson can use this as a driving force moving forward.
“I hope this time for him is like a deep inhale and exhale and he can really take a breath and pause and deal with the disappointment of last year and the frustration, and then channel it,” Aaron Rodgers told reporters. “I feel like he has, just re-channel it as a positive and focus on the opportunity in front of him to learn with a guy who loves him and cares about him and wants him to be great and wants him to do incredible things every day and be better.”
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Zach Wilson will be under the spotlight during preseason
As of right now, Wilson is seen as QB2 behind Rodgers with the Jets. As long as he’s in Jersey, Wilson will hold on to those duties.
With that said, there’s a scenario in play that suggests the Jets could move the young quarterback if he performs well during the preseason starting on Thursday. We know full well how quarterback situations around the league can change. Injuries can happen. Struggles are the name of the game.
If New York finds a market for Wilson based on his preseason performance, a trade wouldn’t be out of question. It also must be noted that Rodgers restructured his contract to give the Jets more cap room to work with heading into the 2023 season. In the process, this seemed to guarantee that he’ll be back in 2024.
Wilson, 23, is only under contract through the 2024 campaign. New York is not going to pick up his option for 2025, meaning that a strong exhibition showing could lead to a change of scenery. Indeed, he needs to focus on the opportunity ahead of him.