The Jets have given quarterback Zach Wilson permission to seek a trade, general manager Joe Douglas said Wednesday.
New York took Wilson with the No. 2 overall pick in 2021 and saw him go 12-21 as an on-again, off-again starter for three seasons.
The Jets have four-time league MVP Aaron Rodgers coming back from a torn Achilles to be their starter in 2024.
Douglas may have signaled that the Wilson era in New York is all but over with his remarks Wednesday at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
“I’ve had good conversations with his agent, Brian Ayrault,” Douglas said. “Where we are exactly, we’ve given them permission to talk to other teams about a trade. I’m going to circle back with Brian at some point either this week or next week just to see how those conversations go. Other than that, there’s nothing else to report.”
Wilson’s trade value, according to many league experts, is worth either a sixth- or seventh-round pick in April’s NFL draft or perhaps a middle-round pick swap.
Wilson, 24, was 4-7 in 2023 and passed for 2,271 yards with eight touchdowns and seven interceptions. Through 34 games (33 starts), he has completed 57.0 percent of his passes for 6,293 yards, 23 TDs and 25 picks.
With Wilson on the way out, that leaves No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence of the Jacksonville Jaguars as the only one of five first-round QBs in the 2021 draft class guaranteed of being his original team’s starter in 2024.
The San Francisco 49ers drafted Trey Lance third overall and traded him to the Dallas Cowboys last August. Justin Fields was the No. 10 pick by the Chicago Bears and Mac Jones went 15th to the New England Patriots, but both are on unstable ground this offseason.
–Field Level Media