Adam Schefter reveals expected outcome of NY Jets, Zach Wilson situation

Will Zach Wilson be traded? Adam Schefter seems to think so!

Justin Fried

Zach Wilson / Brandon Sloter/GettyImages

Zach Wilson will not be a member of the NY Jets next season. While the former No. 2 overall pick remains on the roster, it's hard to envision any scenario in which he's back in 2024.

The expectation for months has been that Wilson will eventually be either traded or released. Despite team owner Woody Johnson publicly declaring last month that his team has no plans to release Wilson, that remains a very realistic option.

However, it's also possible that the team finds a trade partner. ESPN's Adam Schefter made an appearance on The Michael Kay Show on Monday, and the NFL insider was asked about Wilson's status with the Jets.

Schefter revealed that he believes Wilson will eventually be traded, either during or before the 2024 NFL Draft. He presented a scenario in which the Jets move Wilson to another team on Day 3 of the draft, possibly in some sort of pick swap.

The NY Jets are expected to trade Zach Wilson

Schefter reiterated the belief that the Jets likely won't receive anything more than a seventh-round pick for Wilson, and even that feels like a stretch at this point. The biggest holdup continues to be his salary.

Wilson carries a cap hit of $5.5 million to any acquiring team in 2024, a not-so-insignificant amount of money for someone who will likely be a third-string quarterback. Teams have been very reluctant to pay that figure.

Schefter believes the Jets will work out some sort of arrangement with a team, even if that means the Jets eating an even larger portion of Wilson's salary. That might be the only way to get some team to take him.

Another option involves the Jets packaging Wilson with one of their own draft picks — perhaps a future/conditional pick — to facilitate a trade. Yes, the Jets might need to trade a draft pick to get Wilson off their roster.

Nothing that Schefter said was particularly surprising, but it is notable that arguably the NFL's top insider believes the Jets will be able to trade Wilson. There's been a growing sense of doubt in some media circles that the team would find a taker for their former prized quarterback prospect.

Deadlines often spur action in the NFL, and with the draft approaching in a few weeks, that seems to be a prime opportunity for the Jets to engage in further Wilson trade conversations. The saga is almost over.

Justin Fried

Justin Fried is an editor for FanSided who has over seven years of experience covering the NFL and various other sports. A diehard Jets fan since birth, Justin has served as the editor for The Jet Press since 2019, interviewing athletes such as Sauce Gardner, Curtis Martin, LaDainian Tomlinson, Joe Klecko, and many others. Justin has also worked closely with brands like Red Bull to help highlight the niche sectors of the sporting world. His four-part series on the sport of breaking remains one of his proudest pieces of work. In his spare time, Justin is an avid pro wrestling fan who is fortunate enough to have traveled to nearly 30 different countries.