Former Chiefs, Dolphins QB Rejected Jets’ Offer to Back up Zach Wilson

Getty New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh reacting in the middle of an NFL game.

Thanks, but no thanks.

That was the response from longtime NFL quarterback Chad Henne when the New York Jets presented him with a “contract offer” this offseason to be the backup to Zach Wilson.

“I hung them up for the right reasons. I didn’t want to go back and put my body into it” Henne said in response to the Jets’ offer via Matthew Knaub of “Reading Eagle.”

Henne Wasn’t Interested in a Football Comeback in 2023

The 38-year-old announced his retirement from the NFL after winning his second Super Bowl ring as the backup quarterback to Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes back in February.

Henne called the championship rings “icing on the cake” when looking back at his 14-year NFL career. Henne told Knaub that he had a desire to spend more time with his two children and his wife as the main reason he decided to walk away from the game of football.

Although the Jets presented a tempting offer to lace up the cleats one more time which got him “excited” according to “Reading Eagle” but he “ultimately declined.”

He is now a volunteer football coach at the high school level and seems satisfied with his post-football playing career.

The former Michigan product originally entered the league back in 2008 as the No. 57 overall pick in the second round.

During his 14-year career in the NFL, Henne threw for 13,290 passing yards, had a 60-touchdown-to 63-interception ratio, and completed 59.6 percent of his passes.

Through the first six years of his career he logged most of his starts and then in 2014 he transitioned into a primary backup role. Henne played for three different NFL organizations during his career including the Miami Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Chiefs.

Henne crossed over with Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett for three seasons when they were both in Jacksonville from 2015 through 2017.

Jets Chasing Henne Reiterates QB Plan Behind Wilson

The Jets’ pursuit of a player like Henne tells you everything you need to know about the quarterback plan.

Gang Green has said publically that this is Wilson’s team and they’ve said the same thing behind the scenes in all of its quarterback pursuits.

Over the last eight years of Henne’s career, he served as a clipboard holder only starting one game during that span of time.

Head coach Robert Saleh confirmed on Tuesday, September 12 that there would be no “competition” between Wilson and a quarterback to be added later.

“The message I was trying to deliver is that we are going to look at everything. You are going to look at veterans, you are going to look at young guys,” Saleh said. “But under no circumstance is any of this a competition. This is Zach’s team, and we are rolling with Zach.”

With Henne out of the picture, the Jets don’t seem to be in any sort of rush to add another arm to this bullpen.

Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles on Monday, September 11. The Jets already went through the Dallas Cowboys game with only Wilson and Tim Boyle on the roster.

With it being already so late in the week ahead of the New England Patriots game in Week 3, it seems like that’ll once again be the plan.