The New York Jets have had enough of their underperforming quarterback Zach Wilson. After another disappointing outing in a 32-6 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Wilson is officially done as a starter and will be a third-string quarterback moving forward.
Jets’ head coach Robert Saleh said on Monday that the team will move forward with veteran Tim Boyle as their new starting quarterback. Practice squad signal-caller Trevor Siemian will step in as a backup.
The Jets entered the 2023 season with high hopes after acquiring future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers in a trade with the Green Bay Packers. The New York team envisioned Wilson serving as Rodgers’ backup, learning from the veteran, and hopefully be ready to take over down the road.
Unfortunately for the Jets, Rodgers suffered an Achilles injury in the first quarter of a Week 1 clash against the Bills, forcing the franchise to turn to Wilson once again. The former second-overall pick did little to show he was up for the task, frequently struggling to galvanize the offense.
Saleh stuck with Wilson despite his shortcomings, hoping that his performance would improve. However, that didn’t happen even after 11 weeks into the season, causing Saleh to bench the 24-year-old player halfway midway through Sunday’s game against the Bills and then strip him from his starting role altogether.
“We think Zach is incredibly talented, felt like he’d get an opportunity to sit behind Aaron and just learn,” Saleh said about the decision. “Empathetically or sympathetically, when you look at Zach, he’s never really had the opportunity to watch somebody play the position.”
