Zach Wilson was supposed to be the New York Jets‘ savior. When Gang Green selected the BYU product with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, they hoped Wilson would help elevate the franchise and take the Jets back to the playoffs after a decade-plus absence.
But Wilson’s first two years in the NFL have been disastrous — so much so that New York made the most significant transaction in team history by acquiring Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers over the offseason.
On Tuesday’s debut episode of “Hard Knocks,” Wilson discussed his NFL performance to date and the prospect of working behind Rodgers in 2023.
Zach Wilson Discusses Jets Struggles on HBO’s Hard Knocks
“Obviously, the last two years have been tough …” Wilson said. “Honestly, things kind of felt like they were getting a little bit worse each week. Confidence was going down.
“So, not always fun.”
Across 22 starts with the Jets, Wilson has completed just 55.2% of his passes for 4,022 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions. New York has posted an 8-14 record in his starts.
Over the past decade, among quarterbacks with at least 15 starts over their first two NFL seasons, Wilson ranks third-worst in completion rate, passer rating, and adjusted net yards per attempt. The only signal-callers with worse results over that timeframe were Josh Rosen and DeShone Kizer.
Although he struggled during his rookie campaign in 2021, Wilson didn’t face any competition for his starting job heading into last season. However, he was sidelined for the first three games of the year after suffering a meniscus tear during the preseason.
Wilson returned in Week 4 and posted slightly better results than he had in 2021 — but “slightly” is the operative word. He still threw more interceptions than touchdowns, while his 36.5 QBR would have ranked 28th in the NFL if he’d had enough attempts to qualify.
Following a brutal Week 11 loss to the Patriots in which he completed just 9 of 22 attempts, Wilson was benched and demoted to third string after failing to accept accountability for his role in the Jets’ defeat.
Wilson eventually made two more starts after Mike White suffered an injury, but he played so poorly against the Jaguars in Week 16 that the Jets inserted Chris Streveler into the game. Wilson was inactive for Week 17 before serving as Joe Flacco’s backup in Week 18.
Zach Wilson Now Learning From Aaron Rodgers
Wilson is now in a unique position. The Jets can’t release him thanks to his fully guaranteed contract, so he’ll stick on the roster as Rodgers’ backup in 2023.
“He’s embraced it,” head coach Robert Saleh said on Hard Knocks. “He’s all-in on trying to learn. I feel like him showing up was successful — because what he’s being asked to do is hard.
“To go from the potential face of the organization to ‘Hey, just kinda sit back for a little bit and reset.’ That is not easy.”
Rodgers has suggested in the past that he has no issue with mentoring young quarterbacks. In 2022, he told TNT’s Ernie Johnson he was willing to teach signal-callers working behind him.
“If they want it,” Rodgers said. “If they want that help.”
Wilson seems to want the help. During Tuesday’s episode, he repeatedly peppered Rodgers with questions about schematics, play calls, and footwork.
“This year, it’s been eye-opening to kind of have a new look at things, and some new faces in the building, with Aaron,” Wilson said.