Zach Wilson and his value in the trade market is a looming dilemma for the New York Jets. With the team struggling with success in recent seasons, there’s growing pressure on the Jets management. New York hopes to move Wilson, but the optimism for the quarterback trade market is bleak.
Teams trading other quarterbacks from the 2021 NFL Draft for pennies on the dollar doesn’t give much hope in trading Zach Wilson. The BYU product’s tenure with the New York Jets has been disastrous, and that’s just a nice way of putting it. Zach Wilson’s struggles stem from inconsistent play, injuries, benching, and apparent questions about his leadership.
Zach Wilson Trade Dilemma Lingers On
What Does This Mean for The BYU Product?
The New England Patriots sent Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a 2024 sixth-round pick, and Justin Fields was sent to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 2025 conditional sixth-round pick. With the trades with his fellow draftees, what does this all mean for Zach Wilson? Both Jones and Fields had their struggles under center.
An argument can be made that Jones and Fields have more promising opportunities than Zach Wilson. Jones was a 2021 Pro Bowler before things went downhill in New England. Fields has shown flashes of his athleticism and didn’t have much to work with in Chicago before getting D.J. Moore.
Zach Wilson has played many games over three seasons and only had a few outstanding games. He has thrown 25 interceptions, completed only 57% percent of his passes, and threw 23 touchdowns for the New York Jets. After a 2022 10-3 loss to the New England Patriots Wilson failed to take accountability despite his terrible performance that game.
That incident led to his benching for Mike White. The Jets gave Zach Wilson and his agent permission to seek a trade. However, there have been no reports or any rumors of interest. There’s been trades of the 2022 draft class such as Kenny Pickett going to Philadelphia, Desmond Ridder to Arizona, and Sam Howell to the Seahawks.
Zach Wilson Trade Value
What does those moves communicate? They show that teams saw more value in those players than the struggling quarterback. Zach Wilson has a $5.5 million salary guaranteed in 2024, but his deal only includes a base salary of $1.1 million.
If the New York Jets trade Wilson this offseason, they can save $5.5 million in cap space. If the Jets end up releasing Wilson, they’ll endure a $11.2 million dead-cap charge. It won’t be a surprise if the 24-year-old Zach Wilson ends up being a backup for a team. If a team can sign him for less money, Wilson could be a favorable option as a backup.
With the quarterback’s struggles, it’s hard to entertain the idea that Wilson will suddenly become a viable starting quarterback. After three terrible years in New York, a fresh start could do Zach Wilson a lot of good. At this point, it would be ideal for him to start all over if he has any chance of success as an NFL quarterback.
As of now though, the chances of Wilson finding a new team seem to be drying up. The NFL is a win-now league, and if Wilson can find a landing spot soon, who knows if he will get another opportunity?
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