Zach Wilson

Latest On Jets’ Quarterback Situation

November 11th, 2021 at 2:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

Mike White is set to make his third start. The fourth-year quarterback, who left last week’s game with an injury, will retake the reins against the Bills. Joe Flacco will replace Josh Johnson as New York’s backup, Connor Hughes of The Athletic tweets.

While the White and Flacco dominoes are notable, Zach Wilson‘s status is the interest driver here. The No. 2 overall pick is running the Jets’ scout team this week and has not yet been deemed full-go from the PCL injury he sustained late last month. Initially given a two- to four-week timetable, Wilson will sit a third game. It is not certain he will regain his job upon returning to full strength, however.

Robert Saleh said Monday that Wilson would be back as the team’s starter once healthy, but the first-year HC has since walked that back. White, whom Saleh has said is giving the Jets a “clear blueprint of how this offense is supposed to run,” has a chance to keep the job and slot Wilson as the backup.

“I think it’s going to happen organically. If Mike does phenomenal, like we think he’s going to do, that’s not weird, that’s awesome, to me, in the sense a quarterback is a precious commodity in this league and we feel we have four good ones,” Saleh said, via Hughes (subscription required). “I think it will all take care of itself. We have to let it play out.

“[White] did wonderful during the [Bengals] game, did a wonderful job in the first quarter of that Indianapolis game. He is putting on good tape. There is an obligation, if he’s playing well and doing the things he needs to do, to give him the opportunity to continue on that.”

In producing the first Jets 400-yard passing game in 21 years, White inserted himself into this discussion beyond the emergency fill-in level. The Jets did not acquire a veteran quarterback this offseason, giving Wilson the job. The BYU product has struggled, ranking 32nd in QBR and starting his career with a 4-to-9 TD-INT ratio. The Jets now have two veterans on the active roster, with Flacco transported from the Eagles’ backup to the Jets’ QB2. Johnson is back on the team’s practice squad.

First-year Jets OC Mike LaFleur called Wilson’s injury-induced hiatus a “somewhat refreshing” break that will allow for a different perspective, via ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini (on Twitter). Should White retain the job once Wilson is healthy, that will mark an unusual demotion. First-round quarterbacks generally do not return to the bench as rookies after being given extended first-string run. In the previous 10 years, Paxton Lynch is the only first-round quarterback to make a start as a rookie and return to the bench without an injury factoring into the equation. (Though, Patrick Mahomes was given a Week 17 start as a rookie before reverting to backup status for Kansas City’s 2017 wild-card game.)

Wilson following suit could create a messy situation, Cimini writes, given his draft slot. For now, the Jets do not have to declare a full-time starter. But they will perhaps as soon as next week.

Injury Notes: 49ers, Jets, Rams

November 8th, 2021 at 8:53pm CST by Ben Levine

We learned earlier today that a torn quad will sideline 49ers right tackle Mike McGlinchey for the rest of the season, and the injury hits keep coming for San Francisco. Per head coach Kyle Shanahan, both wideout Mohamed Sanu and Tavon Wilson will likely miss some time (per Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury on Twitter).

Sanu suffered a knee sprain during the third quarter of yesterday’s loss to the Cardinals, and Shanhan said the wideout will be out for a while. The veteran receiver had established himself as the third receiver this season, hauling in 15 catches for 177 yards through eight games. The likes of Jauan Jennings and Trent Sherfield could see increased reps while Sanu is out of the lineup.

Wilson suffered a foot injury that will likely require an IR trip. The veteran safety was already starting in place Jimmie Ward, so the team will have to rely on their depth while the two defensive backs are sidelined. Wilson has seen time in eight games this season, although Week 9 was the first time he got significant playing time on defense.

Some more injury notes from around the NFL:

The 49ers provided some additional context on defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw‘s recent knee operation (via ESPN’s Nick Wagoner on Twitter). Team doctors noted “that the ACL has chronic changes that would be best treated with ACL reconstruction.” The organization believes this alternative route will provide Kinlaw with the best chance to play during the 2022 season.
Both Zach Wilson and Mike White will both return to Jets practice this week, reports Brian Costello of the New York Post (via Twitter). It remains to be seen who will be the starting quarterback against the Bills this weekend. It sounds like the team is likely to play it safe with Wilson, meaning White could get another chance to start.
Rams wideout Jacob Harris will miss the rest of the season following ACL and MCL injuries, per Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic (via Twitter). The fourth-round pick was a wideout in college but has been playing tight end since joining the NFL. He’s only played 15 offensive snaps this season, but he got into nine games as a special teamer.

Jets GM Addresses Quarterback Situation

November 2nd, 2021 at 10:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

On the heels of Mike White‘s 400-yard debut which keyed a Jets upset win over the Bengals, Robert Saleh did not shoot down the possibility of White pushing Zach Wilson for the starting job once the prized rookie returned from injury.

The first-year coach said postgame the team would go day to day regarding the team’s quarterback outlook and that “anything is possible” here. A day later, Saleh said (via the New York Post’s Mike Cannizzaro), “If everything goes according to plan and Zach comes back and he’s healthy, we’ll address it when we cross that bridge.” Third-year GM Joe Douglas addressed this topic Tuesday.

“I’m in lockstep with the coach. I’m going to piggyback on everything coach said and we’re going to cross that bridge when we get to it,” Douglas said of the team’s QB depth chart (via Newsday’s Al Iannazzone).

Douglas, of course, used the No. 2 overall pick on Wilson this year. This move came shortly after the Jets concluded their previous would-be franchise QB’s run, when they traded Sam Darnold to the Panthers. Wilson has not played especially well thus far — joining a couple of his rookie-year brethren in struggling early. Wilson’s 25.9 Total QBR figure ranks 32nd, ahead of only Justin Fields, and the BYU product has thrown four touchdown passes compared to nine interceptions.

A former Cowboys fifth-rounder who has been with the Jets since 2019, White completed 37 passes — an NFL record for a first-time starter — and joined Cam Newton as the only first-start QBs to surpass 400 passing yards. White’s 405-yard day marked the first Jets 400-yard passing performance since Vinny Testaverde in 2000. Despite the Jets having traded for Joe Flacco, he of 175 career starts (including four with Gang Green last year), White is set for his second start Thursday. Flacco was not active for the Jets’ comeback win over the Bengals.

Any potential decision on a long-term change would not happen until Week 10. The Jets did not place Wilson on IR, hoping he can return from his PCL injury without being moved off the active roster for three games.

“I feel like he was on his way to really taking off in that New England game prior to the injury,” Douglas said of Wilson. “He’s a tough-minded young man. He has great work ethic. I think you’re going to continue to see him just shoot up. His arrow is pointing straight up. He’s going to continue to get better every day once he gets back on the field.”

Jets QB Zach Wilson To Avoid IR Stint

October 30th, 2021 at 12:46pm CST by Ben Levine

The Jets are optimistic that Zach Wilson can be back on the field for the team’s November 14th game against the Bills. As a result, Wilson won’t be hitting the shelf. Per Connor Hughes of The Athletic (via Twitter), the Jets have decided to not place their rookie quarterback on injured reserve. An IR stint would have caused Wilson to miss the next three games.

Wilson suffered a knee injury during last weekend’s loss to the Patriots, and he’s expected to be sidelined for two to four weeks. The second-overall pick completed 6-of-10 passes for 51 yards before his second quarter exit against New England, and for the season, Wilson has completed 57.5% of his throws for four touchdowns against nine interceptions.

Mike White, who filled in for Wilson last Sunday, will get the first crack at the starting nod. The Jets will use Sunday’s game against the Bengals to help make a determination on next Thursday’s game against the Colts. White could end up starting both contests, but the team will be ready to pivot to Joe Flacco if necessary. The Jets acquired Flacco from the Eagles earlier this week.

The Jets are hoping that Wilson be able to return after those next two games.

Eagles Trade QB Joe Flacco To Jets

October 25th, 2021 at 5:06pm CST by Ben Levine

Joe Flacco is heading back to New York. The Jets have acquired the veteran quarterback from the Eagles, reports NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo (via Twitter).

Philly will acquire a conditional sixth-round pick that could improve to a fifth-round pick based on Flacco’s playing time (per ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Twitter). The sixth-rounder being sent over in this deal originally belonged to the Buccaneers, Sirius XM Radio’s Adam Caplan tweets.

Despite the fact that the Jets pivoted to a rookie quarterback with the number-two pick, the organization decided against signing a veteran QB this past offseason. Now, with Zach Wilson expected to miss multiple weeks with a sprained MCL, the team was scrambling for depth at the position. We got a look at backup Mike White during yesterday’s blowout loss to the Patriots, and the former fifth-round pick threw a touchdown vs. two interceptions in his NFL debut. The Jets are also rostering Josh Johnson on their practice squad.

Flacco spent the 2020 campaign with the Jets and served as Sam Darnold‘s primary backup. The veteran ended up getting into five games (four starts) with New York, completing 55.2 percent of his passes for 864 yards, six touchdowns, and three interceptions. While Flacco struggled during his first stint in New York, he’ll still provide the struggling and inexperienced Jets offense with a veteran presence. Of course, Flacco hasn’t been a full-time starter since the 2017 season, and he didn’t see the field during his brief stay in Philly…so Jets fans should certainly temper expectations.

The 36-year-old somehow parlayed his underwhelming 2020 performance into a one-year, $3.5MM contract with the Eagles to be Jalen Hurts‘ primary backup. Considering Flacco’s lack of playing time in Philly, today’s move makes plenty of sense for the Eagles. The team will now move forward with Gardner Minshew as Hurts’ primary backup. The former Jaguars starter was acquired by the Eagles back in August for a conditional sixth-round pick (a pick they’ve recouped with today’s trade).

Jets’ Zach Wilson To Miss 2-4 Weeks

October 25th, 2021 at 11:05am CST by Zachary Links

Some relatively good news for the Jets. Zach Wilson‘s knee injury will only cost him 2-4 weeks of action (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com).

Wilson effectively diagnosed himself after Sunday’s game, telling reporters that his “loose” knee indicated a PCL injury. His Monday morning MRI backed that up, so he should be able to return sometime in November. Unfortunately, the Jets might not have much to play for at that point. They’re now 1-5 following yesterday’s drumming at the hands of the Patriots.

Wilson completed 6-of-10 passes for 51 yards before his second quarter exit. For the year, Wilson has completed 57.5% of his throws for four touchdowns against nine interceptions. Now, the Jets will turn to his understudy, Mike White. White went 20-of-32 for 202 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions in his pro debut.

“Yeah, I’m confident in myself,” White said after the game (via ESPN.com). “I’m mostly confident in the guys we have in that locker room, the leaders we have. The coaching staff, too.”

The confident White will make his first start on Sunday when the Jets face the Bengals.

Jets’ Zach Wilson Suffers Knee Injury

October 25th, 2021 at 8:37am CST by Zachary Links

Jets quarterback Zach Wilson believes that he suffered a PCL injury in Sunday’s blowout loss to the Patriots. After the game, Wilson told reporters that he heard a “pop” and that his knee felt “loose” (via The Athletic).

Wilson’s description would be consistent with a PCL injury, but doctors won’t know for sure until he undergoes an MRI today. The injury occurred in the second quarter, when he was tackled by Patriots linebacker Matt Judon.

Depending on the severity, a PCL injury may or may not be a season-ender. In this case, the Jets would probably err on the side of caution. Gang Green is 1-5 after yesterday’s loss, so it’s unlikely that their late-season games will matter much.

Wilson completed 6-of-10 passes for 51 yards before his early exit. The Jets then turned things over to backup Mike White for his NFL debut. White — who figures to be the Jets’ QB1 for at least a little while — went 20-of-32 for 202 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.

Injury Notes: Steelers, JPP, Jets, Mailata

September 24th, 2021 at 5:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

After suffering a pectoral injury in Week 2, Ben Roethlisberger is not in jeopardy of missing Week 3. The Steelers will have their 18th-year quarterback against the Bengals. Big Ben returned to full practice Friday. He will not have his top receiver available, however. Although Diontae Johnson‘s late-game injury was not believed to be serious, Mike Tomlin pushed back on the prospect the third-year wideout would quickly surmount his knee problem. The Steelers have declared their leading receiver out for Sunday. The third-year pass catcher has run into myriad injury issues as a pro, missing games or parts of games with several maladies last year. The Steelers have contract-year wideout James Washington set to step in as a full-timer.

Here is the latest from the injury front going into the season’s third Sunday:

In addition to being unlikely to have Antonio Brown available, the Buccaneers will be down Jason Pierre-Paul against the Rams. The 11th-year pass rusher will miss Week 3 with hand and shoulder injuries; he did not practice this week. Tampa Bay will be set to use first-round pick Joe Tryon -Shoyinka more extensively in L.A.
Andre Dillard looks likely to return to the Eagles‘ starting lineup for the first time since November 2019. Recently extended left tackle Jordan Mailata is likely to miss Monday night’s game against the Cowboys, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. A knee injury is expected to keep the ex-rugby player out of Philly’s lineup, though Garafolo notes the team does not view the setback as serious. Mailata suffered the injury in practice this week, E.J. Smith of the Philadelphia Inquirer adds. Dillard missed extensive camp time due to a knee injury and has not played an offensive snap since 2019.
The Jets will have Zach Wilson in uniform against the Broncos, but the rookie quarterback is playing through a groin injury. The No. 2 overall pick sustained the injury during the Jets’ Week 1 loss to the Panthers, Jeff Howe of The Athletic notes (subscription required). Wilson practiced fully this week, but Howe adds the BYU product went through an MRI recently. Although Wilson might not be in danger of missing time, this is certainly an issue to monitor.
The Packers are likely to be severely shorthanded on their O-line in San Francisco. Elgton Jenkins, who has filled in for PUP list-stationed David Bakhtiari at left tackle, is doubtful to face the 49ers because of an ankle issue. Green Bay will likely be forced to use its third left tackle option against the 49ers, who feature Nick Bosa as their primary blindside rusher. The Packers signed Dennis Kelly this offseason, giving them a potential option at right tackle in the event they slide right-side starter Billy Turner to left tackle.
Between their practice squad and active roster, the 49ers have seven running backs. That total balloons to nine if Raheem Mostert (IR) and Jeff Wilson (PUP) are included, and San Francisco’s backfield will be missing more pieces Sunday. Due to injuries sustained in Week 2, Elijah Mitchell and JaMycal Hasty are respectively doubtful and out for Sunday night’s game. On the bright side, third-round rookie Trey Sermon has cleared concussion protocol. Despite beginning the season as a healthy scratch, Sermon should be expected to start, Matt Barrows of The Athletic tweets. The 49ers have Trenton Cannon and recent addition Jacques Patrick, an XFL alum the 49ers added off the Bengals’ practice squad, on their active roster and Kerryon Johnson and Josh Hokit on their practice squad.

Jets Strongly Considered Keeping Sam Darnold

September 18th, 2021 at 3:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

With their Panthers matchup in the past, the Jets and Sam Darnold can move in different directions. Zach Wilson made his NFL debut in the one-score loss. Both QBs are unquestioned starters, but the Jets spent extensive time on a scenario in which they’d be teammates.

Prior to the teams’ April trade, which sent Darnold to Carolina for three draft choices, the Jets gave strong consideration to keeping their previous starter and still drafting Wilson, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com notes. Robert Saleh indicated the team would have been OK with both passers on the 2021 roster.

“It would’ve been fine in either direction,” Saleh said. “Whether we had Zach at the reins, whether we had Sam, it didn’t really matter to us.”

The Jets could have made the arrangement work, cost-wise, with Darnold’s rookie deal running through 2021. By picking up Darnold’s fifth-year option, the Panthers have extended the deal to 2022. Of course, this also would have introduced the prospect of Wilson being blocked by a former top-three quarterback pick that did not have a long-term future with the franchise.

The Cardinals scuttled this type of plan two years ago, trading top-10 pick Josh Rosen after drafting Kyler Murray first overall a year later. Although the 2012 Colts and 2016 Eagles’ situations were a bit different, both teams moved incumbent starters — former No. 1 overall picks Peyton Manning and Sam Bradford — off their rosters to clear respective paths for Andrew Luck and Carson Wentz. The Chiefs went the other way four years ago, and Patrick Mahomes benefited from ex-No. 1 selection Alex Smith‘s mentoring. Darnold, however, did not offer the stability Smith did and, in his fourth season, made less sense as a mentor for Wilson.

Carolina sent a 2021 sixth-round pick and two 2022 picks — second- and fourth-rounders — for Darnold. The Panthers traded Teddy Bridgewater to the Broncos shortly after making that deal. Jets GM Joe Douglas said the team landing the No. 2 overall pick changed the blueprint. Darnold likely would still be a Jet had last year’s 2-14 finish not secured such a valuable draft choice. Wilson is now the future in New York. The Jets steered clear of veteran backups as well, giving the BYU prospect every opportunity to receive first-team practice reps leading up to his rookie season.

Contract Details: Chubb, Thomas, Allen, Wilson

August 1st, 2021 at 6:42pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Let’s catch up on the details of some of the big contracts recently signed around the NFL:

We heard last night that Browns running back Nick Chubb was signing a big three-year extension worth $36MM with $20MM guaranteed. We’ve got the full equation now, thanks to what a league source told Jason Fitzgerald of Overthecap.com. For starters, Chubb is getting a $12MM signing bonus. It also turns out that not *quite* $20MM is fully guaranteed. The actual guarantee is only $17.133MM. However, it’s almost effectively $20MM, since the other $2.87MM in guarantees vests in 2022 and it’s incredibly unlikely Chubb would be off the roster by then. Chubb will have low salaries and low cap hits in 2021 and 2022. In 2023, he’ll have a cap hit of $14.85MM. He’ll have a $10.85MM salary but only the $2.87MM of that will be guaranteed. In 2024, he’ll have a non-guaranteed salary of $11.775MM and a cap hit of $16.2MM for his final year.
Washington just made Logan Thomas the seventh highest-paid tight end in the game, and now we have new figures on his deal. His three-year, $24MM extension will give him a cap hit of $6.465MM in 2022, $8.75MM in 2023, and $8.315MM in 2024, John Keim of EPSN.com reports. The dead cap hits for those three years will be $7.465MM, $3.5MM, and $1.75MM respectively. In other words it won’t be too hard for the team to get out of the contract after 2022 if they wanted to. Thomas will receive a $300K roster bonus each season, and is due a $500K roster bonus on the fifth day of the 2024 league year, so that will be an important date in the final season of his new pact.
Thomas wasn’t the only player to get an extension from Washington this past week. The Football Team also gave defensive tackle Jonathan Allen a big four-year, $72MM deal. We didn’t previously know the full guaranteed amount, but it’s apparently $35.6MM. Allen’s cap hits for those four new seasons will be $9.5MM, $21.5MM, $21.5MM, and $23MM, Keim writes. As such, he won’t start really weighing down Washington’s books until 2023. He has a $14MM salary for that season which becomes guaranteed on the third day of that league year. His dead cap charges will be $26MM, $18MM, $12MM, $6MM for 2022-2025.
Zach Wilson and the Jets avoided potential disaster by agreeing to terms on his rookie deal right before training camp started, and now we have more context on the holdup. We knew there was an issue about potential signing bonus money deferment, and it turns out New York wanted the rookie quarterback to wait to get a significant amount of cash. The Jets “only opened negotiations last week,” and wanted Wilson to defer a whopping $6MM of his signing bonus to 2022, a source told Jeff Howe of The Athletic (Twitter link). After the team relented and agreed to pay the whole signing bonus upfront, Wilson hopped on a plane to New York. In return, the Jets did get some of the offset language they were seeking.

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