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It’s trade deadline day around the NFL, but another storyline could take centerstage in New York Jets land after former NYJ quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick provided a very strong sound bite on current QB Zach Wilson during an Amazon Prime conference call with reporters.
The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt covered the story from a Jets perspective, sharing a full audio link on his Instagram reel. He also tweeted out some of the headliners from Fitzpatrick — and they weren’t very endearing.
Ex-Jets’ Ryan Fitzpatrick Shares Zach Wilson ‘Red Flag’
“Well, they drafted him so high for a reason,” Fitzpatrick began after being asked about Wilson’s recent struggles. “I think they’re really excited, they’ve surrounded him with a lot of good talent.”
The long-time NFL journeyman didn’t rip Wilson immediately when answering the question, but he did eventually lead the conversation in that direction after praising the Jets front office for the QB-friendly roster they’ve built. He also thought the second-year passer should have learned more while shadowing Joe Flacco during the first few weeks of the 2022 campaign.
“He was afforded some time at the beginning of the season to sit back and watch [Flacco],” Fitzpatrick continued later. “[Wilson] just has to get into a better flow now, understanding what that team needs from him. And some of those wild throws off his back foot and the scrambles — this is a good enough team to where they don’t need that.”
Then the ex-QB dropped the proverbial hammer. “That being said, one of the biggest question marks that I’ve had about him — and the thing that scared me last year — is when they called John Beck, his personal quarterback coach, to come out and help get his mind right during the season,” he admitted. “To me, that was a giant red flag.”
Fitzpatrick voiced that the Beck decision scared him because the franchise was forced to “coddle” Wilson in order to help him succeed.
“He has to play better,” Fitzpatrick concluded, “and I think this is a nice wake-up call for him to know that they have a good football team and they don’t need him to do the things that he was doing on Sunday — making those mistakes.”
Silver Lining From Ryan Fitzpatrick
It has not been a good week for Wilson after another ugly performance against the New England Patriots at MetLife Stadium. The youngster threw three interceptions and displayed some questionable decision-making throughout.
Having said that, this was only one game — as team leaders and coaches have come out and said in support of Wilson — and you could argue that the BYU product played very safe football during the four-game winning streak, even if it was uneventful at times.
The problem is the lack of clarity one way or the other. Fans appear split on Wilson’s future and the uncertainty surrounding the young signal-caller’s development has created a rift that is centered around one key question — trust Wilson with the franchise or look to replace him in 2023?
Fitzpatrick did provide one silver lining in this regard. “For sure, through this year,” the grizzled veteran of the game told reporters when asked how long Wilson should be given as the starter. “They’re going to give him a chance next year as well but he’s gotta show improvement.”
Head coach Robert Saleh echoed that sentiment on October 31, reinforcing that Wilson is not going to get pulled from the starting role this year unless he’s injured.
Fitzpatrick ended his thoughts on a positive note, stating: “I think it’s so exciting to watch him when you see the good, because there is good and there is some exciting stuff with him — he’s obviously got great mobility, he’s got a great arm, but he still has to learn how to play quarterback in the National Football League.”
Wilson won’t have it any easier in Week 9 against the Buffalo Bills, who flaunt a stout pass rush led by three-time All-Pro veteran Von Miller.
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