Getty New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson making a play during an NFL game.
The New York Jets have made a quarterback change and that caused some intense reactions on social media.
Zach Wilson will be making the start on Sunday versus the Detroit Lions in Week 15. On First Take, Stephen A Smith bluntly said that the young man’s career could very well be on the line:
“Zach Wilson, he is in the lineup now. This is possibly his career in a New York Jets uniform, if not the NFL on the line. That is what this is and let me tell you why. I know the Detroit Lions have been balling, I love the job Dan Campbell has been doing. Ladies and gentlemen the Detroit Lions have the second-worst defense in the entire NFL.
If you Zach Wilson and you can’t do something against them after getting called out, benched, losing your job, and then getting it back with another opportunity with playoff lives on the line. You can’t show up this weekend? You done!
I’m not talking about winning or losing because you can lose the game, but you could play well if something else happens and goes wrong. Zach Wilson has to play like an NFL quarterback. If he doesn’t do that then the New York Jets are done with him.”
.@stephenasmith says “this is possibly” Zach Wilson’s “career in a #Jets uniform if not the #NFL on the line” Sunday vs the #Lions.
“If you can’t show up this weekend against this defense then you’re done” 😳
It’s Do or Die Time for Jets QB Zach Wilson
It was a little hyperbolic from Stephen A Smith, but for the most part, he was right on the money.
If Wilson struggles against the Detroit Lions his overall NFL career won’t be over. Even if the Jets decided to move on this offseason, extremely unlikely regardless of what happens, another team would kick the tires.
It is really hard for a quarterback to go No. 2 overall and then be suddenly out of the league two years in without getting another chance.
However, his time with the Jets as a starting quarterback could certainly be over, whether fair or not.
The Jets are 7-6 and are currently on the outside looking in at the playoff picture due to tiebreakers. This game on Sunday is an absolute must-win if you’re serious about making the playoffs.
Mike White was slated to be the Jets’ quarterback for the rest of the season with how he has played during this three-game stretch. However, his ribs had other ideas and head coach Robert Saleh announced during his Friday, December 16 press conference that he wasn’t cleared for contact.
So White is out and Wilson is in.
For now, this is the Wilson show and if he plays well and keeps winning he could change the Jets’ decision-making up top.
Right now he is the only quarterback under contract for next season. The Jets will be adding bodies to the room in some form or fashion. However, how well Wilson plays will determine to what level the team chooses to upgrade the room.
If the young man totally implodes then it’s fair to expect the Jets to be super aggressive in the quarterback market this offseason. If Wilson plays well, perhaps they won’t swing for the fences on an alternative option.
Zach Wilson Is Getting More Than One Whack at the Jets’ Pinata
Not only will the former BYU passer get this opportunity versus the Lions, but he is likely slated to start in Week 16 as well.
Gang Green will be on a short week for a Thursday Night Football matchup versus the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Both Saleh and White said on Friday that it would “be a challenge” for the young man to be cleared by Thursday’s game.
Wilson has back-to-back home games against below .500 teams in the middle of a playoff race. This has a chance to be a magical redemption story for Wilson if he used his time away to his benefit.
All the pressure is on Wilson to deliver over these next two games. If he does he will be a hero. If he doesn’t his time might be over as the guy.