New York Jets Go All In On Zach Wilson By Passing On Signing Carson Wentz...Was It The Right Move?
The New York Jets had the option to sign Carson Wentz in free agency, but chose to stick with Zach Wilson instead.
After suffering a 27-6 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers last Monday (in which Wilson looked disastrous), questions once again arose about Wilson’s ability to lead the Jets. Wentz’s agents reached out to New York after the game to see if the team from the Big Apple needed any quarterback help.
New York declined picking up Wentz on Nov. 6, and the next day, he signed with the Los Angeles Rams.
Some people might be scratching their heads wondering why the Jets didn’t bring on the experienced quarterback. Surely, he’s better than Wilson, right?
Carson Wentz (11) could have provided more upside than Zach Wilson, but probably not much. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
Well, not exactly.
Wentz hasn’t played since Week 17 of last year after recovering from a fracture in his throwing hand. Furthermore, Wentz has only looked like an elite quarterback in two of his seven years (2017 and 2019), and only eclipsed the 4,000-yard mark once. He’s completed one pass in the playoffs in his entire career, so he offers little postseason experience.
Wentz’s injury list is rather extensive too. He’s suffered an ACL tear, ankle sprain, two hand/wrist-area fractures, vertebrae fracture and rib fracture. So yeah, he’s been banged up once or twice throughout his career.
In the end, New York passed on a slightly-above average quarterback with an extensive injury history. This move likely won’t come back to haunt them.
Zach Wilson Is The Jets' Best Option Because Every Other Option Isn't Great
But still, you might ask, why stick with Wilson? It’s probably because Wilson might be the best option for the Jets, even if he is mediocre.
Wilson kept a game against the Kansas City Chiefs close this season, and showed great maturity in the final minutes of regulation against the New York Giants. Wilson at least knows how to run the offense more than Wentz. Familiarity with the system matters, especially given that New York sits in contention for a playoff spot. You don't want a massive change under center at this point in the season.
If you look further on New York’s quarterback depth chart, the options aren’t great there either. When Robert Saleh joined “The Michael Kay” show last week, he seemed to indicate that regardless of the consequences, he’s sticking with Wilson, even at the expense of giving Trevor Siemian a shot.
“I got you. It’s a fair question. Like I said … I don’t know. You got me. I’m going to plead the fifth on this one,” Saleh said. “I kind of explained it, respectfully, but they’re valid questions, and I know from passionate fans all having the same questions, I respect it greatly. I’ve got to look at it from a global standpoint and just see where we are and look at the All-22 the best I can and make the decisions as best as possible.”
The bottom line is that until Aaron Rodgers comes back from his Achilles injury, the Jets don’t have a ton of great options, be it Wentz, Siemian or someone else. They’re caught between several mediocre quarterbacks, and are sticking with the one who knows the system the best.