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When Zach Wilson first made his return as the starting quarterback of the New York Jets, he mentioned to reporters that he had reached out to different NFL QBs that were forced to rebound after being benched early in their career.
On December 20, after the Jets officially named him the starter again in Week 16, Wilson provided more information on who he spoke to, and all three names on his impressive rolodex will be in Canton someday if they aren’t already.
Jets’ Zach Wilson Reveals 3 QBs He Called After Benching
During his Tuesday press conference, Wilson detailed these conversations after a question came in from New York Post reporter Brian Costello.
“The biggest thing was just — there’s going to be these ups and downs in football and you always have to believe in yourself, and rely on your support system, and just understand that this is all just kind of part of the process,” Wilson explained. “Where you want to get, [being benched] is just going to help you get there faster. The bumps, the ups and downs, it’s tough but you eventually make your way through it and along the way you’re able to learn a lot of really good lessons.”
When pushed on the topic, he admitted that he spoke with Hall of Famer Steve Young, future Hall of Famer Drew Brees, and Hall of Famer Kurt Warner because of the adversity that each went through during their careers. Along with Young, Wilson noted that he also reached out to his former QB coach John Beck because of his BYU connection to the pair of mentors.
After Beck was hired by the Jets last season, Wilson played some of his best football. Unfortunately, Gang Green was unable to retain the QB guru for the 2022 campaign.
Back to the quarterbacks — boy, is that some legendary group to chat with. Warner has already supported Wilson publicly in the past, practically volunteering to coach the youngster if the Jets ever asked him to do so.
It’s ironic, because a contingent of NYJ supporters have become obsessed with comparing Mike White’s career to Warner’s but it could end up being the other way around!
Brees is another interesting choice — while Young is more obvious because of their BYU ties. It took a change of location and a match with Sean Payton for Brees to truly unlock his game. With a similar build as Wilson in terms of height and weight, could the No. 2 overall pick follow in his footsteps?
Let’s hope not, because that would mean Wilson gets traded and puts up Hall of Fame numbers elsewhere. The more plausible solution would be to replace offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur or quarterbacks coach Rob Calabrese with a veteran mind in 2023.
Zach Wilson ‘Grateful’ to Be Back, Wants to Enjoy Playing Football Again
Some of the more eye-opening statements from Wilson since his benching have centered around the young man’s mental health.
“I think I talked about it a little bit ago, just really enjoying being here and being grateful to be on this team and being with the guys,” Wilson replied, when asked about how his reset has helped him. “For me it was like, just go out there and have fun, just go out there and enjoy being around these guys, and through the good plays [and] the bad plays just really be grateful to be able to play football.”
“I think in my first year and a half I just realized how much of a business this really is,” Wilson continued. “I’ve played football my entire life for the fun of it and how fun it is… How can I bring that fun back? How can I just enjoy being here?”
The 23-year-old signal-caller even joked that “mo money” has brought on “mo problems,” doing his best Biggie impersonation.
Later, he voiced that his goal for Thursday night is to “go out there and do my best, support the guys around me and put us in the best position possible… and be as present as possible.”
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