What New York Jets coaches say about Zach Wilson's future

In the days leading up to the final game of Zach Wilson’s difficult second season with the New York Jets, his coaches remain steadfast in their commitment to developing the beleaguered quarterback.

That’s even knowing that Wilson, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, is expected to be active for the team’s regular season finale at the Miami Dolphins.

“Zach has all the talent in the world, and we have all the confidence in the world in him,” the Jets head coach said. Robert Saleh told reporters on Wednesday.

It’s just, like I said, a reset. We will work with him. We are. Through hell or high water, we’re gonna figure out how to get him where we know he can be.

“Looking back, it probably would have been beneficial for him to sit down and learn a little and watch a veteran and grow in this league – a little bit in the back, watching,” – the Jets’ offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, on Zach Wilson

Jets offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, however, admitted Thursday that Wilson could have benefited from learning behind a veteran quarterback instead of being thrown as the team’s starter on day one as a rookie. .

“Looking back, it probably would have been beneficial for him to sit down and learn a bit and watch a veteran and grow in this league – a bit at the back, watching.” LaFleur told reporters.

“Get better in training, get better through the scout team and all that. But that wasn’t the course we took.

Instead, the Jets face many questions regarding their quarterback position with the offseason looming after the franchise went through a QB carousel this year.

What went wrong in Zach Wilson’s second NFL season?

Wilson, who missed the first three games of the season with a knee injury he suffered in preseason, went 5-2 as the team’s starter before things got tough. are really starting to deteriorate.

The former BYU quarterback has since been benched twice — the first bench came as a way to “reset” Wilson’s development, as Saleh put it, and the second bench came into play during from a humiliating loss to Jacksonville two weeks ago.

Mike White was called upon to replace Wilson as the team’s starter, although after a promising start, the former fifth-round draft pick also struggled.

Midway through the QB shakeup, the Jets went from a 7-4 record to a five-game losing streak and are eliminated from the playoffs.

On Thursday, a little more intrigue was added to the equation, as White – who suffers from a rib injury, an injury that put Wilson back in the starting lineup for two games – was limited to the coaching.

According to Jets beat reportersWhite also skipped her scheduled press availability.

What, if anything, that might mean for Sunday’s finale remains to be seen.

Wilson’s stats from his second season in the NFL did not indicate progress from his rookie campaign — his completion percentage fell to 54.5% this year (from 55.6% in 2021) and he threw six touchdowns for seven interceptions, while also throwing for less than 160 yards in five different plays.

Wilson’s 72.8 QB rating this season is last among qualified NFL quarterbacks.

He also came under fire earlier this year for appearing to lack accountability for his offense and offensive struggles after a 10-3 loss to New England.

He was benched a few days later.

Will the Jets continue to develop Zach Wilson in 2023 or trade him?

All of this sets up what is sure to be a turbulent offseason for New York figuring out what to do at quarterback.

White and veteran Joe Flacco are expected to be free agents, while Wilson still has two years left on his rookie deal, a $35 million deal that runs through 2024. by Spotrac.

The Jets’ 2022 season and how it unfolded had some wondering if the Jets would accept the idea of ​​trading Wilson – Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer believes the team will be moving away from him this offseason.

If that were to happen, Wilson would only join Ryan Leaf (San Diego Chargers, 1998 No. 2 pick) and Josh Rosen (Arizona Cardinals, 2018 No. 10 pick) as top-10 draft quarterbacks who lasted less than three years with the team that wrote them, according to ESPN.

Saleh, who along with his coaching staff has come under scrutiny for his handling of Wilson’s development and the team’s QB situation, said the franchise is committed to helping Wilson regain his confidence.

“We want to make sure we reconnect with Zach and get his trust back — get his trust back in him and in us, and in us and him, all of us,” he said.

“Just to make sure he’s back on track, getting his footwork, his mechanics and his mind under control. It’s not about talent for Zach. I believe. We’re going to work hard to help, and we are committed to that.

Where is the blame in Zach Wilson’s lack of development?

LaFleur, who is in the second year of his first stint as offensive coordinator at the NFL level, admitted his own shortcomings in Wilson’s development.

“In two years, yeah, we haven’t done our job with him, have we? Any player in any position who doesn’t produce at the level he is capable of, as a coach we let him down,” he said.

There’s a two-way street with that. The player has to meet us in the middle, but you want all these guys to play at their best. We all know Zach didn’t play at his best. He showed sport. He showed talent. As Saleh said yesterday, through hell or high water, we are going to work with him.

Saleh referenced some positive flashes Wilson has shown this season, including when he led a fourth-quarter comeback against Pittsburgh on his season debut and hit a season-high 66.7. % of his passes over 200 yards in a win over divisional rival Miami.

“It just got a bit away from him, for one reason or another. How do you find that consistency? It starts with knowing yourself,” Saleh said.

The head coach believes that stepping away from football for a bit would help Wilson’s ability to reset and refocus on the fundamentals of his game.

“Go read a book, go do something, walk away from this game, just reset,” Saleh said. “I think the greatest gift you can give yourself as a human being is understanding what’s important to you. What do you value and how can you stick to those values ​​day in and day out? day ?

This is the best gift you can give yourself, is to discover yourself. I think Zach needs to walk away, read a book and figure this out.