New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson has not cleared concussion protocol and will be unavailable for his team’s matchup against the New England Patriots on Sunday, the team announced Wednesday. Wilson exited the Jets’ Week 15 loss to the Miami Dolphins in the second quarter with a head injury and has not played since.
Veteran Trevor Siemian, who has started the last two games for New York, is once again expected to lead the team. The 32-year-old has struggled this season, posting a 16.0 QB rating with two touchdowns and four interceptions over four games.
Jets coach Robert Saleh said he still has confidence Wilson can play in the NFL but did not say whether Wilson’s long-term future would be in New York.
“I thought he had great OTAs, great training camp. I thought he battled. He fought. He’s a fighter, he really is,” Saleh said Wednesday. “Obviously there’s things that I know he wishes he could have back, I know there’s a lot of things that he improved on. Some things were out of his control, but I’ve said it and I’ll say it again, I think he’s gonna have a long career in this league.”
Wilson, a first-round pick in 2021, took over as the starter in Week 1 after offseason signing Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles just four plays into the season. Wilson threw for 2,271 yards with eight touchdowns and seven interceptions over 12 appearances.
The Jets (6-10) have not beaten the Patriots (4-12) in Foxborough since a divisional playoff matchup in January 2011.
Will Wilson be back for the Jets?
After Wilson’s stellar performance against the Texans — 301 passing yards, two touchdowns, zero interceptions and an AFC Offensive Player of the Week award — there was some hope that he’d finally built himself back up to resemble the prospect the Jets thought they had drafted in 2021. The next week, behind a brutal offensive line performance, Wilson succumbed to a concussion.
That might well mark the end of his Jets career. Wilson is not expected to stick with the Jets next season and the team will likely look to trade him this offseason, ahead of the May deadline to make a decision on his fifth-year option for 2025. Even if Wilson did stick around, the Jets almost certainly would decline that as they pursue other backup quarterback options.
Wilson’s career was obviously a disappointment, but perhaps there is some hope that out of the New York limelight, some team can resurrect his NFL career. It just won’t be with the Jets. If/when the Jets trade Wilson this offseason, they’d save $5.4 million and incur a $5.73 million dead cap penalty. It’s unlikely they’ll be able to get much for him outside of a Day 3 draft pick. — Zack Rosenblatt, Jets beat writer
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(Photo: Brad Penner / USA Today)
