New York Jets Have Officially Announce The Signing Of The Sensational Quarterback Who Will Be Replacing The Departing Veteran Quarterback Who Made Greatest Performances In 2023 Season
The Chicago Bears just agreed to a trade that will send Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers for essentially nothing. After three up-and-down years with a subpar Bears roster, the best Chicago could get was a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. This is a paltry return for a quarterback who, at the very least, has proven he can be a decent bridge quarterback or a high-end backup. If this is what it costs to get Fields, then the New York Jets might not be able to trade Zach Wilson at all.
Originally selected with the second-overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Zach Wilson Era has been an unmitigated disaster in New York. Taking over an admittedly flawed roster as a rookie, the BYU product finished his inaugural season completing 55.6% of his passes for 2,334 yards, nine touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. He followed this up with a disastrous 2022 campaign where the team benched him midway through the season. After acquiring Aaron Rodgers via trade, the team had to turn back to Zach Wilson after the four-time MVP tore his Achilles in Week 1.
Historically speaking, even the worst first-round quarterbacks always get a second chance somewhere else, even if it is as a backup. The last first-round pick to not receive a second contract was Johnny Manziel, and he had a long, long list of reasons why he was completely unemployable. Sure, Paxton Lynch never made another 53-man roster after signing with a new team, but he had an opportunity to fight for a job. However, trying to find a trade partner for Zach Wilson is going to be difficult.
Teams are not as optimistic as they used to be. In the past, organizations would hold on to hope that a flawed player with first-round draft capital could figure it out in a new environment. This is part of the reason the Carolina Panthers gave up a second-round pick for Sam Darnold just three years ago. However, that line of thinking is starting to die out, as evidenced by the meager return for Justin Fields and, to a lesser extent, Mac Jones.
Zach Wilson has been worse than Fields and Jones, so it’s safe to wonder if anyone would trade anything for him. Even a conditional seventh-round pick swap seems like a stretch, considering a team would need to take on a portion of his $11.1 million cap hit. However, if he is released, someone is going to kick the tires on him and see what he can do.
