New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh announced yesterday that the team will bench quarterback Zach Wilson. He will be replaced by career backup Tim Boyle. This is the third time Wilson has been benched and it effectively marks the end of his career as a starting quarterback. Wilson, 24, failed to live up to expectations as the number 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. As the starter for the Jets, he threw 21 touchdowns, 25 interceptions, fumbled 15 times, completed just 56% of his throws, and led the team to an 11-20 record. At times, Wilson showed the qualities that sold the Jets on him as a draft prospect - the athleticism, the arm strength. Yet, for every spectacular throw or impressive run, there were missed routine throws or forced turnovers that really hurt his team's chances. Moreover, Wilson has had a solid supporting cast around him during his time as Jets' starter. The team had significant cap space to sign free agents and a ton of draft picks (mostly thanks to the Jamal Adams trade) that they used to strengthen the offensive line, the receiving corps, and build one of the league's best defenses. At the end of the day, there were no excuses on the field for Wilson.
Wilson could argue though, that Jets' quarterbacks are just cursed. In the last 20 years, the Jets have been buried in a deep hole of mediocre-to-bad QB play. They thought they escaped that fate by trading for Aaron Rodgers, but this seemingly unbreakable curse caught him just four plays into the 2023 season. While guys like Chad Pennington and Mark Sanchez had their moments as Jets, the general theme for New York over time is committing embarrassing errors at the QB position in the NFL Draft, then bringing in a veteran to put a Band-Aid over the error (Aaron Rodgers, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Brett Favre). Here is a look at the list of QBs New York has drafted over the past 20 years.
Quarterbacks Drafted by the New York Jets since 2000:
2021: Zach Wilson, 1st Round (#2 Overall)
2020: James Morgan, 4th Round
2018: Sam Darnold, 1st Round (#3 Overall)
2016: Christian Hackenburg, 2nd Round
2015: Bryce Petty, 4th Round
2014: Tajh Boyd, 6th Round
2013: Geno Smith, 2nd Round
2011: Greg McElroy, 7th Round
2009: Mark Sanchez, 1st Round (#5 Overall)
2008: Erik Ainge, 5th Round
2006: Kellen Clemens, 2nd Round
2003: Brooks Bollinger, 6th Round
2000: Chad Pennington, 1st Round (#18 Overall)
Particularly in the first and second rounds, which obviously are premium picks, the Jets have ugly, ugly misses. Wilson and Darnold were celebrated as franchise-changing talents, and each failed. Hackenburg was a huge reach in the 2nd round and never saw the field in a regular season game. Geno never developed in New York, nor did Kellen Clemens. Jets fans have to be exhausted with this disgusting level of quarterback play. To me, the onus is on team ownership and the front office to re-evaluate what qualities they prioritize at the quarterback position and invest an early draft pick. Rodgers is likely going to be back next season, but it is still going to be in the organization's best interest to find a successor. Ironically, Rodgers is going to get "Jordan Love'd" again. New York's young stars - like Quinnen Williams, DJ Reed, Garrett Wilson, Sauce Gardner, Breece Hall, and Alijah Vera-Tucker, all have already earned or soon will earn lucrative contract extensions and it makes sense to look for a star QB on a rookie contract to extend the competitive window while those guys are in the prime of their careers. Tankathon currently projects the Jets to have the 11th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. They should seriously consider drafting a quarterback again. They'd risk pissing off Rodgers, but the organization has to understand he is at best a temporarily solution and that they desperately need a long term answer to end this run of QB mediocrity.
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