Wilson failed to impress at spring practices, according to Nick Kosmider of The Athletic. Kosmider suggests Wilson seemed to have more trouble than rookie Bo Nix with the adjustment to coach Sean Payton's offense. While Wilson still has time to make an impression during training camp and the preseason, it sounds like he's currently positioned to be the No. 3 QB or even released. The Broncos acquired him in April for a late-round pick swap, trading down from No. 203 to 256 while taking on only half of Wilson's $5.5 million salary from the Jets.
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Status
ACTIVELatest Zach Wilson news
Team
Denver Broncos
Birthdate
8/3/1999 (24)
Status
Active
HT/WT
6'2", 214 lbs
Draft Info
2021: Rd 1; Pk (NYJ)
Birthplace
Draper, UT, USA
Position
QB
College
BYU
Experience
3 seasons
Career History
New York Jets
2021-2024
(3 seasons)
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Wilson failed to impress at spring practices, according to Nick Kosmider of The Athletic. Kosmider suggests Wilson seemed to have more trouble than rookie Bo Nix with the adjustment to coach Sean Payton's offense. While Wilson still has time to make an impression during training camp and the preseason, it sounds like he's currently positioned to be the No. 3 QB or even released. The Broncos acquired him in April for a late-round pick swap, trading down from No. 203 to 256 while taking on only half of Wilson's $5.5 million salary from the Jets.
The Broncos don't plan to pick up the fifth-year option in Wilson's contract, Jeff Legwold of ESPN reports. Wilson, who the Jets took with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, joined the Broncos in a trade with New York leading up to this year's draft. With his new team not in line to pick up his fifth-year option -- which would have been for a guaranteed $22.4 million -- the 24 year-old is in a position to become a free agent next March. For now, Wilson is slated to compete with first-round rookie Bo Nix and Jarrett Stidham -- who started Denver's final two games of the 2023 regular season -- for the Week 1 starting assignment. While Nix is presumably viewed as the franchise's long-term answer at QB, in the short term, slotting at the position is up for grabs in advance of training camp.
The Jets are trading Wilson to the Broncos for a late-round pick swap, Jeff Howe of The Athletic reports. The Jets will give up the 256th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and receive pick No. 203. They'll also hold some of Wilson's salary, with the 24-year-old scheduled for $5.45 million in guaranteed compensation for the final year of his rookie contract. This could give Wilson a shot to compete for a starting job, depending on what the Broncos do in the upcoming draft. Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci are the other QBs on Denver's roster, with Stidham the favorite to start Week 1 if no early draft pick is added to the room.
Jets chairman Woody Johnson suggested Monday that if the Jets don't trade Wilson, they intend to keep the QB, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports. That said, Cimini notes that the Jets remain motivated to deal Wilson, who last month was granted permission to speak to other teams about a possible trade. Given that Tyrod Taylor was recently signed by the Jets to back up Aaron Rodgers (Achilles), a change of scenery would no doubt benefit Wilson, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. In three seasons since then, the 24-year-old has compiled a 12-21 record as a starter and thrown more interceptions (25) than TD passes (23).
General manager Joe Douglas said Wednesday that Wilson (concussion) has been given permission to seek a trade, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. Wilson ended the 2023 season on injured reserve while recovering from concussion symptoms, which cost him the Jets' final three games. The 2021 second overall pick's time being up in New York almost looks inevitable at this point, especially after he was moved back and forth between the starting lineup and bench throughout the 2023 campaign. If a trade partner doesn't emerge for Wilson, the Jets could opt to waive him rather than keeping him in the fold at a cap hit of $11.18 million for 2024. In any case, the Jets seem likely to prioritize an upgrade at the backup quarterback spot behind Aaron Rodgers (Achilles), with Trevor Siemian and Brett Rypien being the other signal-callers on the roster.
The writing appeared to be on the wall for Wilson's removal from the starting role, as he was benched during Sunday's 32-6 loss to the Bills before head coach Robert Saleh said after the game that he was undecided on a Week 12 starter. Since taking over for the injured Aaron Rodgers (Achilles) early in the first quarter of a Week 1 win over the Bills, Wilson completed just 59.2 percent of his passes for 6.1 yards per attempt, six touchdowns and seven interceptions, and he also lost five fumbles. Boyle doesn't have much of a previous track record of success at the NFL level and will presumably be on a short leash, but even if Boyle ends up being pulled from the starting job at some point, the Jets could still look to turn to a free agent or a member of another team's practice squad rather than giving Wilson another look.
Saleh reiterated that offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett also will continue to call the offensive plays. Wilson has been dreadful this season, checking in at 31st in completion percentage (59.8 percent), 30th in touchdown throws (five) and 29th in yards per attempt (6.1), while the Jets have been downright bad on third downs. The Jets don't seem willing to give Tim Boyle any starts and are going to keep riding it out with Wilson despite just one offensive touchdown over their last three games.
Wilson fumbled on the opening drive, leading to a Giants field goal, and after the Jets lost their top two centers to injuries in the first half, his first exchange with third-stringer Xavier Newman led to a fumbled snap. In between those two Wilson fumbles, Breece Hall turned a check down into a 50-yard touchdown. The Jets started 0-for-12 on third down before Wilson finally converted a 3rd-and-11 with a 17-yard run just before the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter, but things looked bleak after that possession ended on a fourth-down sack. Wilson came alive after the Jets got the ball back with 24 seconds left in regulation, completing back-to-back 29-yard passes to set up a game-tying field goal before helping draw a 30-yard pass interference penalty to set up the game-winning field goal in overtime. It hasn't been pretty, but Wilson and the Jets have won three straight to improve to 4-3 heading into a Week 9 MNF visit from the Chargers.