The Jets have benched Zach Wilson again, this time probably for the last time.
Jets coach Robert Saleh said Monday the team will deal with Wilson’s future in the offseason. For now, the Jets are focused on the Dolphins, who they play on Black Friday.
Saleh confirmed the Jets will start Tim Boyle.
Wilson, in fact, will serve as the third quarterback with Trevor Siemian as the No. 2, but all three will be on the game-day roster since the Jets have an extra roster spot, according to Saleh.
It is the third benching for Wilson in the past 13 months.
“Zach’s fine,” Saleh said, via video from the team. “He’s come a long way from a year ago. I think we all agree we wish it was better. Obviously, we wish it was better for him; we wish we were better for him. It’s not a one-person thing, but just to see if we can get something going. But he was good [with receiving the news].”
Wilson was drafted second overall in 2021 to be the Jets’ franchise quarterback, but after two seasons with Wilson, the team traded for veteran Aaron Rodgers. Wilson got the job back on the fifth snap of the season after Rodgers tore his left Achilles.
Wilson’s 73.8 passer rating ranks 30th, and the Jets rank 30th in yards and 30th in points.
“It’s been all the way across the board. It’s not all him, but there are things that he needs to be better at,” Saleh said. “This is just another situation to see if we can get another guy an opportunity and see if something can change.”
The Jets gave no consideration to waiving Wilson, Saleh said.
But after 10 weeks of unrelenting support for Wilson, Saleh finally has benched Wilson, who perhaps has played his final game with the Jets.
“We think Zach is incredibly talented,” Saleh said. “Felt like he’d get an opportunity to sit behind Aaron to learn. Sympathically, when you look at Zach, he’s never really had the opportunity to watch somebody to play the position. . . . Just to sit back and watch from the ground up. That was his opportunity with Aaron. But four plays in, he’s back in the starting lineup. So, he never really got to really sit back and kind of absorb and get that redshirt year you would have loved to have given him. So, you can always play the hindsight 20-20 game, but we felt like we did what was best for the organziation, best for the team. It’s been an unfortunate series of events when you look at the injuries on the offensive line and some things that have transpired since the start of the year.”
