FLORHAM PARK, NJ — Embattled New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson, hailed only a year ago as a franchise savior, goes to the bench in a dramatic upset.
After two days of evaluation, coach Robert Saleh announced Wednesday that Mike White will replace Wilson as the starter Sunday against the Chicago Bears at MetLife Stadium — the biggest move of Saleh’s 27-game coaching career.
Saleh said the Jets weren’t giving up on Wilson but making the decision to give him a “reset” so he could refocus. He said Wilson’s issues are “fixable” and the organization fully intends for him to return as a starter at some point.
Veteran Joe Flacco will be White’s replacement on Sunday. Wilson will not be active.
It’s a significant pivot for an organization that had pretty much revolved around Wilson since drafting him second overall in 2021. It raises questions about the future of the Jets’ quarterback position, a proposition they never thought they would have to face so soon.
The Jets (6-4), hoping to end an 11-year playoff drought, are in winning mode now. They believe their defense is championship-caliber and don’t want to waste that opportunity on erratic quarterback play.
Wilson passed for a career-low 77 yards in last week’s loss to the New England Patriots and created a firestorm by refusing to take blame for the offense’s dismal performance.
On Monday, Saleh met with Wilson and told him he was evaluating the quarterback job, later telling reporters the same. The non-approval was significant because it marked the first time Wilson’s job security had been questioned by the team.
Wilson missed the start of the 2022 season after undergoing knee arthroscopy following a preseason injury. The Jets went 5-2 after Wilson returned in Week 4, with both losses coming to the Patriots.
But the Jets win with defense, not passing offense. Wilson has just four touchdown passes and has passed for 210 yards in just two of his seven starts.
Publicly, Saleh remained supportive, saying after the Oct. 20 loss to the Patriots that he would stay with Wilson for the remainder of the season. It came after a nightmare of three interceptions.
That all changed on Sunday, when Wilson was incompetent in one of the worst offensive performances in team history. They only managed 103 total yards, which Saleh called “unacceptable”.
White is not a sure thing; he has only three career starts.
While Wilson was nursing a knee injury last season, White achieved near-cult hero status in his first career start, throwing for 405 yards and three touchdowns in a Cincinnati Bengals upset. The former Dallas Cowboys draft pick had two more starts: an incomplete game against the Indianapolis Colts (he left with an injury) and a four-steel clunker against the Buffalo Bills.
White started this season as the No. 3 quarterback, behind Wilson and Flacco. They changed the depth chart in Week 8, promoting White to QB2 – a change that left some team members scratching their heads. Saleh said it was to “give him the opportunity to prepare as if he were the next man.”