The New York Jets have sent out a message on their offseason intentions.
According to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, general manager Joe Douglas “does not plan to shop” quarterback Zach Wilson this offseason.
“They view him as a good teammate, a hard worker, obviously very talented, they want to continue to develop him. Plus his contract is already fully guaranteed so no point in moving on now.”
JUST IN: @RapSheet says #Jets GM Joe Douglas ‘does not plan to shop’ QB Zach Wilson this offseason, ‘they view him as a good teammate, a hard worker, obviously very talented, they want to continue to develop him’: 🎥 @nflnetwork #TakeFlight
Contradicts a Big Time Jets Report From Christmas
This new report from Rapoport on Sunday, January 1 directly contradicts the Jay Glazer report on Fox from Christmas Eve when he said the Jets plan on “moving on” from Wilson this offseason.
.@JayGlazer says the #Jets have ‘lost all confidence’ in Zach Wilson & dropped a bombshell ‘expect the Jets to move on from him after this season’ 😳: 🎥 @NFLonFOX #TakeFlight
Head coach Robert Saleh shot down the report calling it “speculation” when he was asked about it this week.
Wilson is only in the second year of his $35 million rookie contract. He has at least two more years left on the deal and there is a fifth-year option down the line as well.
In 22 career games, Wilson has shown some promise but there have been a lot of red flags as well. He has 20 total touchdowns to 24 total turnovers (combining interceptions and fumbles). Although one of the most glaring stats is a putrid 55.2 percent completion percentage.
The New Report Raises Some Interesting Jets Questions
For some, the new report from Rapoport will quiet some doubts about Wilson’s future in a Jets uniform.
For others, it still raises serious questions.
Jarrett Bailey who provides NFL coverage for USA Today said, “how many times have we seen X team doesn’t plan on shopping X player before they inevitably get moved. Take this with a grain of salt.”
If you parse through the exact verbiage that Rapoport used when describing general manager Joe Douglas he said that he doesn’t “plan” on shopping Wilson.
That sounds eerily similar to all the other times he didn’t plan on shopping Jamal Adams or Sam Darnold, yet both of them ended up in new locations.
This could very well just be damage control after the report from last week.
One Twitter user suggested this could be a “smokescreen for [a] potential trade.” If Douglas was going to trade Wilson it would make sense to at least pretend that you’re going to keep him to increase your leverage in a trade scenario.
In all honesty, this new report makes the most sense. Even if the Jets add new bodies to the quarterback room, what’s the rush to give up on Wilson?
You can go sign or trade for a guy that can play for you right now while you develop Wilson behind the scenes. As we saw this season, injuries happen all the time and that means you could eventually have to rely on the former BYU product.
Gang Green ended up starting three different quarterbacks during 2022 and played four of them (Chris Streveler hasn’t started a game this season).
Right now Wilson’s trade stock is as low as it has ever been. At the very least by keeping him you can build his stock and interest up around the league and make a decision later.
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Jets Make Decision on Trading QB Zach Wilson in 2023: Report