The Jets’ 2022 season has gone much better than many expected back in August. If you told any fan that New York would be 7-7 entering Week 16 with a chance at grabbing a playoff spot, they’d likely be shocked and elated. Things haven’t exactly been too smooth for quarterback Zach Wilson, but he’s in a position to change the narrative about him.
After getting benched and not being active for three straight weeks, Wilson came back on Sunday in place of Mike White, who couldn’t get clearance to play. He didn’t exactly come back in and wow everyone against a soft Detroit Lions defense. Wilson did have an impact, though, tossing for 317 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.
He has another shot to get the Jets back on track Thursday at MetLife Stadium against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Wilson is just in Year 2 of his NFL career. It’s important to always be learning from certain situations and drawing upon the wisdom of others.
That’s exactly what the signal-caller did upon getting benched. According to USA Today‘s Jetswire, Wilson reached out to Steve Young, Kurt Warner, and Drew Brees, as well as BYU alum, Jon Beck. His main goal was to ask them about how they handled adversity throughout their respective careers.
Here’s what Wilson had to say about it:
The biggest thing was there’s going to be these ups and downs in football and you always have to believe in yourself and rely on your support system and just understand that this is all just part of the process. Some of the biggest things I took from it was where you want to get, this is just going to help you get there faster — the bumps, the ups and downs, it’s tough, but eventually you’re able to make your way through it. Along the way, you’re able to learn a lot of really good lessons, and you’re almost able to be more aware as well.
I’ve been very close with Steve and John Beck, of course with the BYU connections. I reached out to Drew Brees and Kurt Warner, just guys I felt like had a lot of adversity in their careers or things they had to go through.
We don’t know if this effort will equal success on the gridiron, but at least Wilson is trying, right? Prior to his benching following another loss to the New England Patriots, he didn’t look interested in what others had to say. Now, it appears the second-year quarterback is invested in developing himself as a professional — both on and off the field.
You’d have to imagine that coaches and teammates can see this change. If Wilson combines that with some W’s down the stretch, he could change his future with the organization moving forward. Maybe.
Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
