Jets coach Robert Saleh on whether Zach Wilson will return next season: 'We'll see'
The quarterback won't play again this season. Will he return to New York for the 2024 run?
Quarterback Zack Wilson may have played his last game for the New York Jets.
The 24-year-old will miss the team's regular-season finale because he has yet to clear concussion protocol after sustaining a head injury during a Week 15 loss to the Miami Dolphins.
Wilson's third professional campaign will end with his third consecutive missed game.
When head coach Robert Saleh updated reporters Wednesday regarding Wilson's status, he offered a summary of the signal-caller's campaign from his perspective. But he avoided giving a definitive answer about the 2021 second overall draft pick's future with the Jets.
"I thought he had great OTAs, great training camp. I thought he battled. He fought. He's a fighter, he really is. There are things I know he wishes he could have back, I know there are a lot of things that he improved on. Some things were out of his control," Saleh said. "I think he's going to have a long career in this league."
When asked if that career would be with Gang Green, Saleh answered, "We'll see."
Robert Saleh sums up Zach Wilson's season: "Thought he battled. He's a fighter...I think he's going to have a long career in this league."
On if that career will be with the Jets: "We'll see." pic.twitter.com/lAJ3towx7x— Jets Videos (@snyjets) January 3, 2024
Wilson, the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era to have the NFL's worst passer rating in back-to-back seasons, has one year left on his rookie contract.
Saleh's noncommittal stance comes a month after reports began to surface that the Jets had already told Wilson he will be traded after the season. Both sides mutually agreed to part ways after Wilson was benched for Tim Boyle in November, according to Deseret News.
Wilson said he was "not surprised" to lose his starting role at the time, an understandable response considering he was benched for Mike White around the same time last season.
Because the the Jets traded for four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers last offseason, Wilson wasn't intended to start at all this year. But when the 40-year-old tore his Achilles four plays into the team's Week 1 win over the Buffalo Bills, Wilson got his job back.
The 2023 campaign saw the best stats of Wilson's career. Starting 11 of 12 games, he notched a career-high completion percentage of 60.1. His 8-to-7 touchdown-to-interception ratio and 77.2 passer rating were new bests for the former BYU Cougar, as well.
Saleh noted the Jets will discuss Wilson's future when the season ends. The team has until early May to make a decision about his fifth-year option for 2025.
