Getty New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson warming up ahead of an NFL preseason game.
Everyone is feeling good coming off of the New York Jets’ unlikely and improbable last-second win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 2.
A big reason the green and white were able to pull it off was thanks to their veteran backup quarterback Joe Flacco. He is currently third in the league in passing yards and threw four touchdown strikes with zero interceptions.
That has led some fans to dream the impossible dream which could cause some rifts in the quarterback room.
Robert Saleh Ends the Zach Wilson Drama
With Flacco leading the Jets to a 1-1 record, fans have started to wonder what if he keeps playing well?
Would head coach Robert Saleh play the hot hand or will he inevitably turn things back over to Zach Wilson?
On Wednesday, September 21 we got an emphatic answer from the Jets’ top decision maker:
“Zach is the future of the organization, we all know that. So as soon as the doctors clear him, we’ll get him on the field.”
When asked if Joe Flacco continues to ball out will he have a decision to make? #Jets HC Robert Saleh was emphatic saying, ‘Zach Wilson (@ZachWilson) is the future of the organization, everybody knows that 😤. As soon as doctors clear him, we’ll get him on the field’: 🎥 @nyjets
Wilson suffered a meniscus tear and a bone bruise in the preseason opener versus the Philadelphia Eagles. At the beginning of the regular season, Saleh stopped all the speculation by saying the earliest Wilson could return is the Week 4 road trip to Pittsburgh.
According to the latest notes from NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, everything is still on track for that timeline to be fulfilled.
.@RapSheet provided an update on #Jets QB Zach Wilson (@ZachWilson) saying he will do extensive work in 7-on-7 drills to ramp him up + the goal is still to be ready for Week 4 vs #Steelers: 🎥 @nflnetwork #TakeFlight #HereWeGo
Robert Saleh Didn’t Make the Same Mistake Twice
Saleh has been in this position before.
Back in 2021, the Jets were forced to play Mike White against the Cincinnati Bengals and he delivered a “Hall of Fame” performance out of nowhere.
After the game Saleh was asked the very same question, do you keep riding the hot hand at QB or give the job back to Wilson?
“We’ll go day-to-day but anything is possible” and added that White has “the world in front of him.”
#Jets HC Robert Saleh on whether Mike White (@MikeWhiteQB) could be the long-term answer at QB, ‘we’ll go day-to-day but anything is possible’ + ‘he has got the world in front of him, he has to take advantage of it’: 👀👀👀 #CINvsNYJ #TakeFlight #NFL
Obviously, those comments started a firestorm on social media that White could now possibly replace Wilson as the long-term quarterback.
Saleh didn’t leave the door open, as a matter of fact, he slammed it shut this time around.
While the Flacco story is fun to talk about, at the end of the day he is 37 years of age. Candidly the elder statesman is far closer to the end of his career than the beginning.
With those fun facts in hand, the potential of what he can accomplish is limited. Both physically and longevity-wise.
So the better play is giving the ball back to Wilson when he’s healthy. The floor is understandably lower because of his propensity for turnovers, however, the ceiling is at an insane level.
If the former BYU stud can take the next step with all of these weapons around them, the Jets can accomplish whatever they want to.
This season is about more than Wilson, but that will be the defining storyline of the season. If he succeeds the Jets will continue to build around him moving forward. If for some reason he isn’t the guy, Gang Green will reevaluate options this offseason.