The Jets quarterback situation has still not been resolved. When the regular season started, their newly signed star QB Aaron Rodgers got injured, and it was clear from day one that he’d not be able to return to the field. While Shannon Sharpe suggested the Jets contact Tom Brady, and Cam Newton himself named his price to join the team, the Jets still didn’t sign any new QB.
There was a new hope that the situation would now be resolved by the Jets signing quarterback Carson Wentz but the team had some other plans.
Jets reportedly declined to sign Carson Wentz
Despite the Jets having Carson Wentz on their radar as a potential free-agent quarterback, they maintained their trust in their current starting QB, Zach Wilson, believing in his development and potential for the team’s future.
Wentz’s camp reached out to the Jets after a poor offensive showing in a game. This might have been a moment where they sought potential alternatives, but the team chose to stick with Wilson.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, “The Jets reiterated their faith in Wilson behind closed doors and never made Wentz an offer.”
The Jets’ general manager, Joe Douglas, has a history with Wentz from his time in Philadelphia but opted not to pursue him despite this connection.
Carson Wentz chose to sign with the Los Angeles Rams as they offered him a contract to be the backup to Matthew Stafford, giving him the potential for meaningful playing time and possibly revitalizing his career under coach Sean McVay.
Jets’ support to Zach Wilson amid offensive crisis
The Jets’ coaching staff and management have consistently defended Zach Wilson, attributing the team’s struggles to collective issues rather than solely blaming the quarterback for their offensive woes.
“It’s lazy to just put it all on him,” head coach Robert Saleh said. “It was collective all the way across the board.”
Despite external noise and frustrations, the team has shown confidence in their locker room dynamics and in Wilson’s ability to improve.
The coach acknowledged that Wilson needs to improve, but he has confidence.
“We all acknowledge he has to play better. We all acknowledge that,” Saleh said Wednesday. “He acknowledges it, teammates acknowledge it, he acknowledges it himself, but the key is to have confidence in yourself. You have to.”
Pat McAfee believes that Robert Saleh’s comments defending Wilson might have been misconstrued or taken out of context, as he seemingly was more emphatic in his support for Wilson initially.
Although the team hasn’t signed Carson Wentz and didn’t replace Zach Wilson, there is still hope, as Aaron Rodgers recently revealed that he’ll come back in a few weeks.
If that’s the case, then the team’s decision not to sign a new quarterback is justifiable. However, if Rodgers won’t come back this season, then with Zach Wilson, there is little chance for the team to do any better than last season.
