Robert Saleh announces Zach Wilson will again be Jets' starting quarterback
The Jets have named Zach Wilson the starting quarterback for Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans, head coach Robert Saleh announced.
"Zach gives us our best chance to win. Give him another opportunity to go prove that," Saleh said on Wednesday, adding that Wilson will be the starter for the remainder of the season barring injury. Trevor Siemian will serve as New York's backup.
Saleh added that Wilson is "fired up" and reiterated what he said Monday that the third-year QB came into his offense and said “he wants the ball” and “he’s excited about getting this opportunity to finish the season strong.”
After the Jets dropped their fifth straight game and the offense – led by Tim Boyle at quarterback until he was benched for Siemian - failed to score a touchdown for the third time this season, Saleh said he was undecided about who would be the starter going forward.
Just under 24 hours later, the head coach was "still not there yet" on naming a starter for the Week 14 game – amid a report from The Athletic that said Wilson expressed "reluctance" to return to his starting job, citing the offensive line and fear of injury before potentially leaving New York this offseason.
The head coach said there was no apprehension about going back to Wilson after Monday’s reports, adding, “Like I said, he walked in on Monday and he wanted the ball.”
“Zach’s in a great place, the locker room is in a great place and he’ll be ready to play ball,” he said.
On what he wants to see from Wilson on Sunday, Saleh said: "The biggest thing for Zach is just let the thing rip. Trust in your ability, trust in your teammates, trust in your arm talent and trust in what you see and just let it fly. He's got undeniable arm talent, undeniable athleticism and when he plays with that 'F it' mentality if you will, he’s pretty good.”
On Tuesday, the Jets released Boyle and signed Brett Rypien to the practice squad.
"It's unfortunate the way it’s gone about, I get it. That’s part of the crappy part about the league,” Saleh said, adding that the liked Boyle and that he could return to the practice squad but wanted to get another arm into the building.
The week of big change comes after the 13-8 defeat to the Atlanta Falcons dropped the Jets to 4-8 on the season – further from playoff contention and Aaron Rodgers’ potential return to the field – a tumultuous period for the head coach and amid a season with just 10 offensive touchdowns through 48 quarters.
"We’re searching" Saleh said Sunday about the offense’s struggles. "I felt like there was a lot of missed opportunity with possible explosives, potential touchdowns on the field today. We’ve got to find a way to take advantage when we have those opportunities."
This is the second straight December that Saleh has returned to Wilson to be the Jets’ starter after benching him in November. After missing the first three games of last season due to injury, Wilson was benched for Mike White after making seven starts only to regain the job for Weeks 14 and 15 with White out injured. After two lackluster performances, Wilson returned to the sidelines as White and Joe Flacco finished out the season.
Saleh, asked about Wilson’s confidence now after the young passer lost confidence last season when he was benched, said he thinks “this year is way different than it was a year ago. Completely different."
“Zach has a tremendous amount of confidence in himself,” the head coach said. “He knows he can play. He knows in his heart he’s the best quarterback for this team. And so that part of it is not an issue.”
Wilson entered this season as the backup to Rodgers, who turned 40 last week, but was thrust back into the starting role after the veteran suffered a torn Achilles tendon four plays into the season.
He was benched in the third quarter of the Jets’ 32-6 defeat at the Buffalo Bills, a game in which the third-year passer did not complete a pass to a wide receiver and connected on just 7 of 15 attempts for 81 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
In the 10 games (nine starts) before his benching, the 24-year-old completed 190 of 321 attempts (59.2 percent) for 1,944 yards (6.1 yards per attempt) with six touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Wilson has played in 32 games (31 starts) since New York took him with the second overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft out of BYU. The Jets have an 11-20 record in games he has started.
Boyle, who started the last two games after Wilson's benching in Week 10, was replaced in the second half Sunday after completing 14 of 25 attempts (56 percent) for 148 yards (5.9 yards per attempt) with an interception. Siemian went 5-for-13 (38.5 percent) for 66 yards with a fumble in relief.
"I didn’t make enough plays," Boyle said after what would be his final game with the Jets. "I thought I was seeing it good again, made a couple of plays downfield, could’ve been way more aggressive on a few more throws that I want back, but clearly, didn’t get the job done and didn’t score enough points."
Boyle entered in relief and subsequently started the next two games -- both of them defeats. Over parts of three games on the year, Boyle was 48-for-77 (62.3 percent) for 360 yards (4.7 yards per attempt) with one touchdown and four interceptions.
The 29-year-old journeyman has lost all five games he's started in his five-year NFL career, and has thrown four touchdowns to 12 interceptions while averaging just 5.1 yards per pass.
