Not expected to be part of the 2024 Jets, Zach Wilson has been on the trade block for more than a month. The team made it known at the Combine the former No. 2 overall pick had permission to seek a trade partner. More than five weeks later, Wilson remains a Jet.
Although Wilson is attached to a rookie contract, it is the final year of a deal that involves a No. 2 salary slot. Wilson signed a four-year, $35.15MM contract in 2021. The remaining $5.45MM owed to the three-year starter has brought a sticking point in trade talks.
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Offers are believed to have come in for Wilson, but those evidently have not satisfied the Jets. The delay may well stem from teams wanting the Jets to pay some of Wilson’s guarantee or seeking to make this a weighted pick-swap exchange. For a trade to be completed, ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini notes the sense around the NFL points to the Jets needing to send over a draft pick to convince a team to add all or most of Wilson’s money to their payroll.
In February, Cimini mentioned a sixth- or seventh-round pick being potential compensation for Wilson. Though, the notion of a mid-round swap came about in that piece as well. The Jets are unlikely to release Wilson, as the cut would tag them with $11.18MM in dead money. That amount would be halved for 2024 should the team designate Wilson as a post-June 1 cut.
The Jets have also seen many teams fill their QB2 posts. A few did so via trade, with the Steelers (Justin Fields), Eagles (Kenny Pickett), Jaguars (Mac Jones), Seahawks (Sam Howell) and Cardinals (Desmond Ridder) make deals to acquire recent starters and make them backups. A few other teams have signed backups. The Bills (Mitchell Trubisky), Browns (Jameis Winston), C0lts (Joe Flacco), Chiefs (Carson Wentz), Rams (Jimmy Garoppolo), Giants (Drew Lock), 49ers (Joshua Dobbs), Titans (Mason Rudolph) and Commanders (Marcus Mariota) have added clear-cut backup options. This will limit the Wilson market, and while it should be expected the BYU alum will have another chance somewhere, the Jets may need to sweeten the pot for that to happen.
The Steelers traded a fourth-round pick in a Pickett-centered deal that brought back a third from the Eagles. The Commanders attached fourth- and sixth-round picks to send Howell to the Seahawks, who supplied third- and fifth-rounders. The 49ers did not need to add any inducement in the Trey Lance swap, with that Cowboys deal being Lance for a fourth-rounder. Chosen one pick after Wilson, Lance remains on the Cowboys’ payroll at $5.31MM guaranteed.
Given Wilson’s performance and contract, the Jets should not be expected to upgrade in the middle rounds in any Wilson swap. With teams knowing the Jets would face that dead money penalty by cutting him, offers will not be particularly impressive.
Still think a good fit will be in Los Angeles
With two aging QBs with significant injury histories ahead of him, the Jets are probably the best location for him. It isn’t worth giving up assets to trade him. At some point a team may want him due to injuries during the regular season.
I agree with you phenom. Hold on to him and see if a need crops up.
It could be argued keeping him is a solid option for the Jets, but in no way is it the best fit for him. The franchise’s handling of him has clearly had a hand in his struggles, which isn’t to say Wilson is blameless. He desperately needs a fresh start though, away from the Jets and the New York media.
Yeah, well, he has painted himself into this corner just as much as the team has themselves. So…
You know that there is at least one team out there that thinks they can fix him. Wait until after the draft. Some team will come calling. If not, put him on the practice squad. Some dude that thinks he’s a quarterback whisperer will cave. You know one of these clowns will bite.
Um, they have to cut him to put him on the practice squad.
Teams want a backup QB but balk at shelling out $5.45MM? I must be missing something because that makes no sense.
Yes, they want a QB, and Wilson has not convinced other team’s GMs that he’s worth that money. He was barely a third option for the Jets after his early play last season.
Because Wilson isn’t a QB, he’s just a dude that throws footballs.
I’m not suggesting Wilson offers much as a QB but what kind of talent are these teams expecting to get for less than $5.35MM? They might as well be shopping at Walmart.
They want Wilson AND a Pick? What’s the point of trading him at all; to do him a “fresh start” favor?
What kind of favor is it to send him somewhere they don’t even want to pay his 2024 salary; they would have nothing invested in him and he’d just ride the pine without the courtesy of a clipboard.
Cheaper to keep him
To get the cap space, also known as the Osweiler. No one wants him as a player, just trying to see what the Jets will pay to get him off the books.
Wilson hasn’t even shown he can be a backup in this league. It’s a pure salary dump, and teams aren’t looking to do the Jets any favors. If he was worth anything, he wouldn’t be on his way out.
Tannehill was a salary dump for the Dolphins but he found new life in Tennessee. I’m not suggesting Wilson could pull off the same trick outside of New York but a $5.45MM investment is peanuts to pay when there is some chance of getting a young QB turned around.
He’ll be cut after the draft when no team will take him
He’ll probably end up in LA, but I would like to see him go to the Saints.
Trade him to the pats. After the pats shipped off McCorkle, the position of whiny, entitled, first round bust has been vacant…