He finally did it. The coddling is finally over.
During his weekly Zoom call with the media Monday, Jets head coach Robert Saleh did not commit to Zach Wilson for the Week 12 game against the Bears. This comes after Wilson completed only nine of 22 passes in a dreadful 10-3 loss to the Patriots on Sunday, and after the young quarterback failed to take any accountability following the defeat.
This is the first time since the Jets drafted Wilson in 2021 that Saleh has publicly even considered benching his starting quarterback. It’s unclear who would replace Wilson (Mike White is the No. 2 quarterback with Joe Flacco behind him), but Saleh said the Jets are “keeping everything on the table.”
This should make for an extremely interesting week of practice, as the team prepares to face a struggling Bears squad at home. Will Wilson show flashes of improvement in preparation as the staff finally puts an ounce of pressure on him? Will White make his return to the starting lineup, where he temporarily shined last year?
Nonetheless, Saleh arriving at the point where he’s even considering a switch shows just how bad it’s gotten in Florham Park. This organization has upgraded the defense, offensive line, and offensive slate of weapons and has provided Wilson with countless mulligans through his first season and a half. And he still hasn’t improved, exiting Week 11 with the worst completion rate (55.6%) and second-worst passer rating (72.6) in the NFL per Next Gen Stats.
This is what happens when you coddle the kid and fail to hold him accountable — he doesn’t learn. So good for Saleh for at least considering a swap at the game’s most important position, even in the heat of a tight division race. Wilson needs his “Aha” moment — maybe threatening to take his job away could actually do the trick.
