Chances are, when compared to last year, everyone involved with the New York Jets are feeling 100x better about their team’s future prospects heading into the 2022 season. But there’s one former first-round quarterback who doesn’t even see Gang Green coming away with more than five wins, citing Zach Wilson and a tough schedule as the major culprits for their ultimate demise.
But is that a fair take? Could the Jets, after all their offseason acquisitions, really finish with just one more win than last year? Depends on who you ask.
Brady Quinn is not a believer in the 2022 NY Jets
Brady Quinn was once the highly touted quarterback who was supposed to turn around a perpetually terrible franchise into a contender.
The 22nd overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, Quinn started just 12 games with the Cleveland Browns before seeing eight more starts in Kansas City three years later. Five years and 24 games after he entered the league out of Notre Dame, Brady would never play another professional down again, despite several other attempts to crack a 53-man roster.
But then in 2019, he joined FOX Sports as a college football analyst, working the Big Noon Kickoff show. Quinn can also be seen and heard on the “2 Pros and a Cup of Joe” weekly radio show along with LaVar Arrington and Jonas Knox.
In addition to his roles with FOX, Quinn also works as a football analyst with CBS Sports. Then, there’s also his “Blitz” show on Sirius XM NFL Radio, which he co-hosts with Bruce Murray.
Basically, Quinn has remained just as engrained in football as he was during his playing career, keeping him in tune with the happenings around the NFL.
Given a chance to provide his opinion on the 2022 New York Jets during his CBS Sports HQ appearance, Quinn ripped into Zach Wilson and Gang Green. Quinn said he didn’t see the team finishing with more than five wins, thanks to an uphill battle to begin the year, starting with playing the entire AFC North.
“There’s a realistic scenario where they’re 1-8, maybe even 0-9”.
Brady Quinn on 2022 New York Jets
Quinn also mentioned not seeing enough from Wilson yet, thus not being a believer in the 22-year-old second-year pro.
Here’s more of the clip in which you can hear Quinn’s perspective.
Quinn said the Jets’ season will be over by the time they get to their Week 10 Bye.
While Quinn noted the roster has improved, he believes the Jets will be in the market to select a new quarterback once again in the 2023 NFL Draft, and if you buy into his comments, the Jets would be picking very high once again next spring.
Related: New York Jets QB Zach Wilson aims for major improvement as a sophomore
Is Brady Quinn being too harsh?
Despite Wilson not having the best start to his career after being the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, there’s plenty of hope for major growth heading into year two.
The Jets were a complete mess all around in coach Robert Saleh’s first season at the helm. Coming in as a defensive specialist, they allowed more points than any other NFL team.
Sure, Wilson’s ineffectiveness undoubtedly played a role in their defense’s struggles, allowing opposing offenses to start with the second-best field position in the NFL. But to be fair, Wilson was a 21-year-old raw rookie out of BYU.
- Zach Wilson stats: 55.6% completion rate, 2,334 passing yards, 9 TD, 11 INT, 44 sacks – 3-10 W/L
This wasn’t some finished product that was ready to take a cast of misfits and turn them into gold.
Aside from lacking a No. 1 receiving option and next to nothing at the tight end position, we saw some of Wilson’s flaws that held him back.
Wilson frequently had his footwork out of whack, whether it was having one foot in the air while throwing, not pointing his toes in the right direction, or not stepping into his throws, there are several tendencies Wilson can drastically improve. Now that he’s aware of some of his flaws, Wilson and the Jets have had an entire offseason to correct them.
He’s certainly been in the weight room, with team officials noting he looks “beefy“, chances are Wilson has been a workout warrior all offseason, you don’t think he has a massive chip on his shoulder heading into what will hopefully be his first full season as a starter?
The Jets have improved on both sides of the ball, adding another speedy receiver in the first round with Garrett Wilson, someone capable of making an immediate impact.
Wilson now has not one, but two capable tight ends to go along with a deeper wide receiver corps, and the addition of Breece Hall to the backfield should present another weapon for defenses to be wary of.
Defensively they’ve added a potential game-wrecking pass rusher with Jermaine Johnson II and a possible shutdown corner with Ahmad ‘Sauce’ Gardner.
There’s no denying, this Jets roster has greatly improved in the manner of one offseason, and Brady Quinn of all people wants to say they’ll finish with just five wins? Get outta here.
Related: 2022 NFL Power Rankings: New York Jets climb, Patriots and Bears fall after NFL Draft