Former New York Jets Super Bowl-winning quarterback Joe Namath is absolutely fed up with the team’s current starting quarterback.
Namath, 80, watched on in disgust as the Jets fell to the division-rival New England Patriots by the score of 15-10 Sunday afternoon. He was even active on social media, blasting Zach Wilson for apparently sacking himself.
The Hall of Famer had not calmed down much one day after the fact. Namath continued his attack on Wilson during an appearance on ESPN New York radio. It was not subtle.
“I didn’t take anything positive out of it. It was awful,” Namath on Wilson.
Replacing the injured Aaron Rodgers under center for the second consecutive game, Wilson completed just 18-of-36 passing for 157 yards without a touchdown or an interception. At about midway through the second quarter, the former No. 2 pick had less than 10 net passing yards. The Jets had one total yard on their first five drives.
For the embattled Wilson, this came after he threw three interceptions during a blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2. He’s being tasked with replacing Rodgers, who was lost for the season a mere four snaps into his Jets career.
Namath also doubled down on his criticism of Wilson for taking a sack without anyone hitting him during Sunday’s game.
“You sit down? You sit down on a play? You go right down? What happened?” Namath said, incredulously. “I thought you’re trying to win and make plays. You quit on a play? What is going on? It’s disgusting.”
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If that weren’t enough, Namath believes that it’s time for the Jets to cut their losses and move on from the 2021 first-round pick.
“I wouldn’t keep him. I’ve seen enough of Zach Wilson,” Namath told the radio station.
To be fair, Wilson has not proven in any way that he’s a starter-caliber quarterback in the NFL. Through 24 career starts, he boasts an 8-16 record with 17 touchdowns and 22 interceptions. That’s some terrible stuff.
Despite all of this, Jets head coach Robert Saleh has indicated multiple times since Sunday’s loss that Wilson is their starting quarterback moving forward.
Apparently, Namath is not buying what Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas are selling.
“These guys aren’t picking the right players. They aren’t doing a good job of coaching. It’s evident. I mean, you’ve got to look and see. If you have an eye for football at all you see things are haywire. It’s too crazy. They need to fix it and that’s getting rid of a lot of people and bringing new ones in.”
Joe Namath on New York Jets’ situation
It’s clear that frustration is boiling over when it comes to the Jets. We saw that first-hand during Sunday’s game. We now have an all-time great franchise legend joining the fan base in ranting against the direction of the Jets. Fun times in Jersey.