Zach Wilson is leaving the ‘Big Apple’ and getting a fresh start in Denver.
The New York Jets are trading quarterback Zach Wilson and a 7th-round draft pick to the Denver Broncos, NFL Network’s insider Ian Rapoport reports. According to the report, the Jets will receive a 6th-round pick in return and will be on the hook for part of his $5.5 million salary in the 2024 season.
The move gives the Broncos flexibility as they rebuild their quarterback room following the release of Russell Wilson. The Broncos hold the No. 12 pick in the first round, which kicks off Thursday and are expected to select a quarterback at some point during the draft.
“Look, I mean, do we have to draft a quarterback?” Broncos coach Sean Payton said last week. “You’d say man, it sure looks like we have to draft a quarterback and yet, it’s got to be the right fit, the right one. And if you had the tip sheets as to who everyone else was taking, it would be easier to answer that question … That’s the puzzle here.”
Wilson joins the Broncos after three nightmarish seasons in New York. He is the fourth signal caller from his draft class to be sent packing from their original teams (Justin Fields, Trey Lance, Mac Jones). The Jets selected Wilson with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 draft out of BYU, with high hopes that he could develop into their long-awaited franchise quarterback, something that they have not had since Joe Namath. Instead, the total opposite took place and he was benched multiple times due to inept play in his first two seasons under center before the Jets moved on to acquire Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers prior to the 2023 season.
Wilson got another opportunity to start when Rodgers tore his Achilles on his first drive as New York’s quarterback. He continued to be a disaster through 11 starts in 2023 as the Jets finished a disappointing 7-10 and out of the playoffs. Now he has a new home.
Wilson joins a Broncos team in the middle of their own quarterback carrousel. After two failed seasons, Denver gave up this offseason on the Russell Wilson experiment. The Broncos released Wilson in March; a decision came with an $85 million dead salary cap hit across the next two seasons. It also left the Broncos without a serviceable starting quarterback on the roster.
Embed from Getty ImagesWilson’s departure elevated journeyman Jarrett Stidham to the top of the Broncos depth chart. The four-year NFL veteran has only four career starts under his belt. For his career that has included 16 game appearances for three teams, he has completed 59.6% of his passes for 7.2 yards per attempt with eight touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Wilson arrives on the scene with considerably more starting experience. But that experience does not inspire confidence that the Broncos are any closer to figuring out their quarterback woes.
In 34 career games including 33 starts, Wilson has completed 57% of his passes for 6.3 yards per attempt and 185.1 yards per game with 23 touchdowns and 25 interceptions. The Jets went a subpar 12-21 in games that he started. He was the low man on the totem pole and the weak link on a 2023 roster with a top-3 defense and playmakers on offense that would have projected to compete for the AFC East crown with competent quarterback play.
Instead of making an in-season move to improve at the position, the Jets stuck with Wilson through most of the season in route to a third-place AFC East finish out of the playoffs.
For now, Wilson projects to compete for the starting job in Denver next season. Practice squad quarterback Ben DiNucci was the only Broncos quarterback under contract other than Stidham prior to Wilson’s arrival.
For the Broncos, Wilson amounts to a low-risk acquisition via a late-round pick swap. If he does not pan out, the Broncos will not have lost much. But ‘Broncos Country’ holding out hope for a competitive team in 2024 are still waiting for the team to make a significant move at quarterback.
Thursday’s NFL draft will be Denver’s best chance to further address the issue at the position. The Broncos hold the No. 12 pick, but will likely have to move up to acquire one of the draft’s coveted quarterback prospects.
