Less than two calendar years removed from being the No. 2 overall pick of the New York Jets, Zach Wilson has lost his starting job.
The Jets finalized a long-awaited trade for four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers earlier this week, acquiring the former Green Bay Packers star quarterback in a blockbuster deal.
It goes without saying that Wilson’s presence on the Jets’ roster moving forward is questionable. He’s coming off an absolutely disastrous sophomore season in which the former BYU star was benched multiple times. Questions about maturity and Wilson’s mentality also came up throughout the campaign.
In talking about Wilson during the Jets’ pre-draft press conference and one day after acquiring Rodgers, general manager Joe Douglas brought optimism to the table.
“I feel like this is going to be a great thing for Zach. Zach’s ceiling is unlimited. No one works harder, no one loves ball more than Zach Wilson,” Douglas told reporters. “Opportunity to shadow a Hall of Fame QB will be a great experience.”
That is certainly one way to spin the situation. Though, a general manager is not simply going to throw a recent top-two pick under the bus even after acquiring one of the greatest quarterbacks in modern NFL history.
That’s especially true if the Jets are looking to acquire something for Wilson during this week’s NFL Draft.
Related: Sportsnaut’s updated NFL trade rumors
Zach Wilson’s future with the New York Jets up in the air
Based on the compensation New York gave up for Rodgers (first-round swaps in 2023, second-round pick in 2023 and conditional 2024 second-round pick), the team has to be hoping that he plays in Jersey for more than one season.
From a technical standpoint, this leads to questions about Wilson’s future with the Jets. The team will have a decision to make on his fifth-year option next offseason. Barring a Rodgers injury or something unforeseen happening, there is very little reason to believe that the Jets will pick up said option for the 2025 season. Assuming Rodgers plays more than one season with New York and remains healthy, we could have seen the last of Wilson starting for Gang Green.
- Zach Wilson stats (2022): 54.5% completion, 1,688 yards, 6 TD, 7 INT, 72.8 QB rating
It makes sense for the Jets to at least take calls on Wilson during the upcoming NFL Draft. Perhaps a quarterback-needy team will view acquiring him on the cheap rather than exhausting a high first-round pick on a rookie as a better option. It is similar to the San Francisco 49ers taking calls on fellow 2021 classmate Trey Lance.
Related: Winners and losers from Aaron Rodgers trade
New York Jets GM Joe Douglas talks Aaron Rodgers trade
“We’re comfortable with how this deal is shaped. In any negotiation, I don’t think anyone walks away where you feel you won everything. But ultimately our goal from the beginning was to add Aaron to the team. We were able to agree to terms on that yesterday and excited to get him in here,” Douglas on Rodgers’ blockbuster with Green Bay.
The conditional 2024 second-round pick sent to Green Bay is not based on Rodgers playing more than one season with the Jets. Instead, it turns into a first-rounder should Rodgers play at least 65% of New York’s snaps next season.
It certainly is risky. Given Rodgers’ modus operandi, it would not be a huge surprise if he retired after the 2023 season. This would mean Super Bowl or bust for the Jets.
Douglas did make it clear during his pre-draft presser that this drawn-out process was conducted with Rodgers joining New York as the end game. The team was able to pull off this trade without yielding its first-round pick. New York will selected 15th overall after moving down two spots with Green Bay.
It also freed up $43 million in cap room after acquiring Aaron Rodgers by a majority of his contract converting to a signing bonus.
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