Zach Wilson was expected to be the face of the franchise for the New York Jets. Instead, he became a symbol of disappointment.
And now, the 2021 second overall draft pick will get the chance to rejuvenate his career with the Denver Broncos.
The Jets traded Wilson to the Broncos on Monday, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. The Jets are sending Wilson and a seventh-round pick in this week’s NFL draft to the Broncos for a sixth-rounder, the person said.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the teams haven’t announced the deal. NFL Network first reported the trade. The Jets are parting ways with Wilson after three disappointing seasons. ESPN reported New York and Denver are splitting Wilson’s $5.5 million salary for this season as part of the deal.
Wilson came to the Jets with massive expectations after he was selected out of BYU because of his exceptional athletic ability and knack for making throws on the run from various arm angles. But he struggled mightily in his first two seasons in New York before the Jets acquired Aaron Rodgers to be their starter last offseason.
When Rodgers went down for the season with a torn left Achilles tendon four snaps into his debut, Wilson took over as the starter again — and was unable to play with consistency or effectiveness while showing few signs of improvement from his first two years.
After being benched twice in his second season, Wilson was again sent to the sideline after 10 games. He sat out for two games while Tim Boyle was ineffective in two starts. The Jets turned back to Wilson, who found himself in the headlines when The Athletic reported he was reluctant to step back into his role as the starter because of potential injury concerns. Wilson denied that later in the week and said he was excited to start again.
He returned with perhaps the best performance of his career, going 27 of 36 for 301 yards — his third career game of 300 or more yards — and two touchdowns in New York’s 30-6 victory over Houston. Wilson was named the AFC offensive player of the week, but suffered a concussion the following week in the first half of the Jets’ 30-0 loss at Miami on Dec. 17.
And he didn’t play again.
“I thought he had a great OTAs, a great training camp,” coach Robert Saleh said late in the season. “I thought he battled. He fought. He’s a fighter, he really is. Obviously there’s things that he wishes he could have back and I know there’s a lot of things he improved on. Some things were out of his control.
“I’ve said it and I’ll say it again: I think he’s going to have a long career in this league.”
It won’t be with the Jets, though.
Rodgers is back this season, and the Jets signed veteran Tyrod Taylor last month to be his primary backup. The original plan last year was for Wilson to sit behind Rodgers and learn, and then perhaps take over again. But Rodgers’ injury changed all that.
“It’s just an unfortunate series of events that occurred,” Saleh said.
General manager Joe Douglas told reporters during the NFL combine in Indianapolis in February that the Jets had given Wilson and his agents permission to seek a trade.