In what can’t be considered a major surprise, the New York Jets have given young quarterback Zach Wilson and his agent permission to seek a trade.
Jets general manager Joe Douglas confirmed that during the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Wednesday. This was seemingly always going to be in the cards given how Wilson’s three seasons with the Jets have played out.
Even after Aaron Rodgers went down four snaps into his Jets career this past season, Wilson was benched multiple times. The former No. 2 pick from BYU tallied all of eight touchdowns and seven interceptions in 12 games.
Now that Rodgers is set to return healthy next season and with the top of New York’s organization having shaded Wilson, a departure is imminent.
The question here is obvious. Will the Jets find a trade partner for Wilson during the offseason? His body of work might make that pretty darn difficult.
- Zach Wilson stats: 57% completion, 6,293 yards, 23 TD, 25 INT
These numbers represent a player who could go down as on of the biggest NFL Draft busts in recent memory. With that said, he’s still only 24 years old. Other teams could believe a change of scenery will help. With a base salary of $1.06 million in 2024, it would be a buy-low risk.
Related: Updated NFL trade rumors
Potential Zach Wilson landing spots in a trade
Here is a look at three teams who could show interest in Wilson for what would likely be a conditional future late-round draft pick.
- New York Giants: General manager Joe Schoen has made it clear recently that Daniel Jones’ injury issues will play a role in their decision-making process at quarterback. Jones is recovering from a torn ACL. At the very least, competition should be the name of the game in Jersey. In his six starts last season, Jones threw two touchdowns compared to six interceptions.
- Minnesota Vikings: Regardless of whether Kirk Cousins returns next season, the Vikings have to settle their backup quarterback situation. It was a dumpster fire when Cousins went down to a torn Achilles eight games into the season. Minnesota’s three other starting quarterbacks combined to throw 12 touchdowns compared to 14 interceptions.
Related: Minnesota Vikings meet with Jayden Daniels at NFL Scouting Combine
- San Francisco 49ers: It’s an open question whether San Francisco would have selected Zach Wilson ahead of Trey Lance back in 2021. The opportunity was never provided with Wilson going one pick ahead of the 49ers’ selection. What we do know is that a backup quarterback could be needed behind Brock Purdy for the defending NFC Champions. Sam Darnold is slated to hit free agency. Why not take a chance that Wilson can turn things around under Kyle Shanahan?