Getty Former New York Jets QB Zach Wilson and cornerback Sauce Gardner.
Everybody is moving on.
The New York Jets traded away quarterback Zach Wilson to the Denver Broncos on Monday, April 22. Shortly thereafter on social media, Jets cornerback DJ Reed openly asked, “Should I change my # to 2 or keep 4?”
No. 2 was Wilson’s jersey number on the Jets.
Should I change my # to 2 or keep 4?
Sauce Gardner, DJ’s teammate, seemed to be in favor of a potential jersey number change saying, “Fans gon’ tell you to keep 4, but 1 & 2 would go crazy lol.”
Reed responded saying, “Man bro, it would..”
@iamSauceGardner Man bro, it would..
A Lot of Jersey Number Changes Still to Come for the Jets
Another teammate of Reed, Michael Carter II, told him to, “Do that!!”
@D7_Reed Do that!!
Reed asked MC2 if he was going to get jersey No. 3.
@mcarter2nd You gone get the 3👀.
Carter responded with a pair of eyes emojis and Reed told him to “let me know. I’ll get Gus on the phone.” Gus Granneman is the Jets’ director of equipment.
@mcarter2nd lol let me know. I’ll get Gus on the phone.
If those jersey number changes were to happen, the top three corners on the Jets would have jerseys No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3.
However, it seems like Wilson’s old jersey number is already accounted for. Reed shared on X previously Twitter that, “2 is already inquired, 4 it is.”
2 is already inquired, 4 it is.
Several of the new additions to the Jets roster haven’t revealed what jersey number they will be changing to. The speculation on social media is the temporarily vacant Jets No. 2 jersey will go to new backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor.
Throughout his decade in the NFL, Taylor has only ever represented two jersey numbers No. 2 and No. 5. No. 5 is already claimed because Garrett Wilson changed from No. 17 earlier this offseason.
Jets Fans Poked Fun at Reed’s Social Media Activity
One Jets fan said, “The body isn’t even cold yet 🤣😂😭” in response to Reed’s jersey number question.
Less than two hours after NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport broke the Wilson Jets-Broncos trade news, Reed was already asking about Wilson’s old jersey number.
Some fans started making jokes on social media and Reed caught wind of it.
“I ain’t mean it like that in a malicious way or anything, this is just how the business goes, players leave. I was just thinking out loud, I love Zach, great dude, & he’s going to ball with change of scenery💯.”
I ain’t mean it like that in a malicious way or anything, this is just how the business goes, players leave. I was just thinking out loud, I love Zach, great dude, & he’s going to ball with change of scenery💯.
For a variety of reasons, Wilson and the Jets didn’t work out. It happens.
The Jets refused to give him competition as a rookie and handed him a starting gig on a silver platter. Wilson struggled both on the field with turnovers and off of it refusing to take accountability when things went south.
Wilson will have a great opportunity to turn his career around with an offensive wizard in Sean Payton and a clearer path to playing time with a questionable Broncos QB depth chart.
The important thing for the Jets is to learn from their mistakes. What went wrong during the evaluation process? How did they fail the development process? Wilson is gone you can’t cry over spilled milk but you can be better prepared for the next young quarterback that inevitably joins your team in the future.