As the NY Jets prepare for a challenging Week 4 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday Night Football, quarterback Zach Wilson could be preparing for his final start with the team.
The Athletic's Dianna Russini reported on Sunday that "unless Wilson clicks with the offense tonight and throws for 300 yards, it’s apparent his time as the starter could be closing out."
Russini went on to say that multiple Jets sources have confirmed to her that change is necessary. "Something needs to change, or it’s going to cost jobs," one source told Russini.
The Jets signed veteran Trevor Siemian to their practice squad last week, and the expectation is that he's a quick learner who can pick up the offense in a short period of time.
It seems as though the Jets are preparing to turn to Siemian against his former team, the Denver Broncos, if Wilson predictably struggles in tonight's game.
The NY Jets are preparing to move on from Zach Wilson
In three games with the Jets this season, Wilson has thrown two touchdowns and four interceptions, completing a lowly 52 percent of his passes. Wilson ranks close to last in essentially every quarterback statistic.
It's not just this year, either. Wilson is statistically one of the worst quarterbacks in modern NFL history. Among the 80 quarterbacks with at least 700 pass attempts since 2010, Wilson ranks 79th with an awful 34.0 QBR.
Josh Rosen is the only quarterback of the last decade to be more inefficient than Wilson. He's been historically bad through three years with the Jets.
The Jets believed Wilson had made significant progress working behind Aaron Rodgers this offseason. While the plan was obviously not for Wilson to play this season, the team had faith in his abilities when he was forced into action following Rodgers' injury.
Evidently, they were misguided in their belief. Wilson has been borderline unplayable, much like he was for the majority of last season. The Jets are preparing to move forward with a new starter.
The phrasing of Russini's report seems to suggest that the Jets need to see considerable progress from Wilson tonight if he's to remain the starter. No moral victories — the Jets need to see tangible progress.
The report also states that the jobs of general manager Joe Douglas and head coach Robert Saleh are not necessarily safe, even considering the Rodgers injury. Continuing to start a struggling Wilson could cost people in the Jets' building their jobs.
Barring a complete and unexpected turnaround from Wilson, it seems likely that tonight could be his final start as a member of the New York Jets. The Zach Wilson era might finally be coming to an end.