Antwan Staley: It’s time for the Jets to pull the plug on the Zach Wilson experience

Legendary scientist Albert Einstein once said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”

Einstein wasn’t talking about football and the Jets, but in this case, this quote certainly applies to their current situation.

Following their abysmal 15-10 loss to the Patriots, the 15th consecutive in the rivalry between the two teams, Jets coach Robert Saleh remains committed to Zach Wilson as his starting quarterback.

“Yeah, he’s fine,” Saleh said after the game.

What game was Saleh watching because what was on display at MetLife Stadium on Sunday afternoon was in no way “fine.”

Wilson completed 18 of 36 passes for 157 yards with zero touchdown passes, with a quarterback rating of 61.9. That is not fine, that is terrible stats from a quarterback who has been in the league for three years and has yet to show he can be a starting quarterback in the NFL. That’s why it’s time to pull the plug on the Zach Wilson experience immediately.

Yes, the Jets didn’t expect to start Wilson this season as Aaron Rodgers was brought in to end their dreaded 12-season playoff drought and elevate the team to Super Bowl contenders. Rodgers’ torn Achilles four plays into the season ended that championship dream for the Jets. If the Jets don’t go out and sign a veteran quarterback this week, their playoff dreams will also come to a screeching halt before their bye week following their Oct. 15 game against the Eagles.

Wilson has never been and isn’t the answer at quarterback. If the Jets thought he was, they never would have traded for Rodgers in the first place. They also would’ve never benched Wilson twice last year and made him inactive for the final two games of the 2022 season if he was the long-term solution.

Now that Rodgers is out for the season, it would be football malpractice to continue rolling Wilson out there at quarterback when the Jets have a top-10 defense in the league, and solid special teams play from punter Thomas Morstead and kicker Greg Zuerlein.

“We are still early in the season,” Saleh said. “We knew even with Aaron at quarterback, there would be some hiccups along the way because of the new offense, new play caller, new O-Line, just new players on the offensive side of the ball.

“Now, you got this curveball that was sent to us, so they’re acclimating and they’re going to get better. But it is still very early in the season.”

The Jets said they wanted to rebrand Wilson all offseason as they were starting over from scratch with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft as Nathaniel Hackett is the new offensive coordinator. But this version of Wilson looks a lot like the old version that fans saw last year.

Case in point, on Sunday, Wilson held the ball too long in the pocket as he was sacked three times, including one by Matthew Judon that resulted in a safety. If anything, Wilson’s stats this season are worse than they were during his first two seasons in the league.

Through three games, Wilson has thrown for 467 yards, two touchdowns, and four interceptions, as he is completing 52.4% of his passes. Wilson’s quarterback rating is also 57, which is lower than his first two seasons in the league [69.7 and 72.8].

The formula with the Jets offense is the same as last year when the team finished 7-10. They rely on their excellent defense, rushing attack, and special teams to win games. Opposing teams know this, so the Jets will continue to see eight defenders in the box to slow down the passing attack.

Because of Wilson’s play, the Jets running game has been nonexistent in losses against Dallas and New England. During that span, the Jets are averaging 51 yards per game on the ground. If the Jets cannot run the ball, they cannot win, it is as simple as that.

“You want to do what’s working, and today, I really didn’t feel like anything was working,” Wilson said. “So we have to find a way to do something. We have to find a way to do something.”

Earlier in the day, Jay Glazer of FOX Sports reported that Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan were in contact with the Jets as both players were interested in joining the team following Rodgers’ injury. But the Jets declined as they remain committed to Wilson as their starting quarterback.

Even if Wilson is their starter moving forward, the Jets need to sign a veteran quarterback this week. Gang Green is one hit away from having Tim Boyle as their starting quarterback, which would be even more disastrous than Wilson.

Saleh owes it to his team to bring in another quarterback. The Jets defense held New England to 15 points on Sunday, but it wasn’t enough to win the game. If the Jets continue to roll out Wilson, their defense, which ranked fourth in the league in yards and points allowed, will eventually wear down as the season goes on. Saleh also risks potentially losing the Jets locker room and dividing it if Wilson continues to struggle.

The season isn’t lost yet, but it will be if the Jets don’t pick up the phone this week and sign a quarterback. With the Chiefs, Broncos, and Eagles on their schedule before their bye week, Jet fans could start looking toward the 2024 NFL Draft if something doesn’t change quickly.