Zach Wilson is getting a second chance with the New York Jets. Doctors will not clear Mike White to start against the Detroit Lions after he suffered a ribs injury against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, so Wilson will head back under center for the first time since Week 11.
Wilson’s on-field performance was a key factor in his benching, but so was his lack of accountability off the field. Can the former No. 2 overall pick win back the Jets’ locker room this time around?
Zach Wilson Gets Another Chance with the New York Jets
Quarterbacks and head coaches usually get most of the credit for their team’s victories, but they also take the majority of the blame when things go wrong. These are CEO-type roles requiring leadership ability and media training. Wilson failed on both accounts following his lackluster performance against the Patriots in November, which ultimately led to his benching.
You remember the game. Wilson completed just nine of 22 attempts for 77 scoreless yards as New York lost to New England on a last-second punt return. Gang Green managed only three points and 103 total yards, the latter the lowest figure for any team this season.
After that dismal performance, Wilson received what amounted to a layup question in his post-game interview. Asked whether he let the Jets’ excellent defense down against the Pats, Wilson simply said, “No, no,” without any further explanation.
Wilson needed to accept responsibility following the loss and was given a golden opportunity to do so. But instead of taking the brunt of the criticism, Wilson deflected — and his teammates noticed.
Connor Hughes of SNY reported that Wilson walked around the locker room “like he isn’t the problem,” which rubbed some of his teammates the wrong way, especially as many of them shouldered the blame for the loss to New England.
Meanwhile, ESPN’s Rich Cimini said Wilson’s attitude had caused “a lot of raw feelings among Jets defensive players.” Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic said Wilson had “a lot of work to do in the Jets’ locker room.”
Rookie receiver Garrett Wilson, who consistently looked frustrated while attempting to catch passes from Zach Wilson, aired his grievances without explicitly naming the Jets quarterback.
“This s–t’s sorry,” Wilson said. “We’re out here looking sorry, man. We know that we’re not sorry. So that’s why it really hurts. We know that we’re better than that. We can do more. We gotta put some more trust in the receiver room. I feel like we can go up and make plays, do things. I don’t [know] if everyone feels that way, but hopefully, by the time we get around next week, everyone feels that way. We gotta have a great week of practice.”
We even got some social media drama when Jets defenders Sauce Gardner and John Franklin-Myers each liked tweets criticizing Wilson’s lack of accountability. Both players later said they liked the tweets by mistake.
The Jets desperately need a win against the Lions on Sunday to remain in the playoff race, and Wilson clearly needs to play well if he wants to have any chance of holding onto the starting job once White returns.
But it will be worth watching Wilson’s demeanor as much as his performance. How will his teammates react to him, especially after bad plays? How will he handle his post-game press conference if the Jets lose?
Wilson needs to improve drastically on the field to become a starting quarterback again. But if he doesn’t take a different approach off the field, he might have trouble landing even a backup job.