NY Jets fans in disbelief over Dolphins' baffling Zach Wilson signing

If there’s one thing NY Jets fans know all too well, it’s bad quarterback play. The franchise has endured decades of disappointing performances under center, but few have been as memorably disastrous as Zach Wilson’s tenure.

In fact, few quarterbacks in modern NFL history with as many starts as Wilson have performed quite as poorly as he did as a member of the Jets. That's what makes it all the more shocking that he's returning to the AFC East.

The Miami Dolphins signed Wilson to a fully guaranteed one-year, $6 million contract on Monday with the expectation that he will serve as their primary backup in 2025. Wilson spent the entire 2024 season as the Denver Broncos' third-string QB but did not appear in a game.

The Dolphins are entrusting Wilson to be their top backup quarterback behind arguably the league's most injury-prone starter in Tua Tagovailoa. He'll also be asked to play in an offensive system that's very similar to the one he famously hated under Mike LaFleur in New York.

What could go wrong?

Dolphins' disastrous Zach Wilson signing has NY Jets fans laughing

Wilson is statistically one of the worst quarterbacks in modern football history. The former BYU star finished his three-year Jets career with 23 touchdowns and 25 interceptions, completing just 57 percent of his passes and averaging 6.3 yards per attempt.

You aren't going to find many quarterbacks in recent years with 30+ career starts and numbers as bad as those. Yet, for whatever reason, the Dolphins seem to believe he's a good fit as their backup quarterback despite putting nothing on tape last year.

The Dolphins' backup quarterback job is one of the most important in the NFL due primarily to the uncertain health status of Tagovailoa. The 27-year-old has played more than 13 games in a season just once and has publicly dealt with significant concussion issues.

There's a very high probability that Wilson will be asked to start games in 2025. And if he does, he will do so in an offense that couldn't be a worse fit for his skill set.

Mike McDaniel’s Dolphins offense relies on a quarterback who thrives in accuracy, timing, and anticipation. Despite Wilson’s physical tools, those are three areas — along with decision-making, another crucial trait in this system — where he has consistently struggled.

We already know this because Wilson famously played a role in former offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur's departure, struggling to adapt to his system. McDaniel's scheme is essentially a more refined and effective version of what LaFleur was trying to implement with the Jets.

You couldn't find a worse fit for a Kyle Shanahan-inspired offense if you tried. Wilson is already a poor QB2 candidate. Throwing him behind the most injury-prone starter in the league and asking him to run a Shanahan offense is a calamitous decision on the part of the Dolphins.

The kicker? You aren't going to find many Dolphins fans disagreeing, either. It seems nearly everyone is in agreement that this is a disastrous choice by Miami's front office. The NFL is unpredicatbel, but it's really difficult to see this one moving out.

At the very least, perhaps we could look forward to the seemingly inevitable Justin Fields-Zach Wilson quarterback duel next season. Oh, how the times have changed.

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