NY Jets GM Joe Douglas reiterates commitment to Zach Wilson

NY Jets, Zach Wilson
NY Jets, Zach Wilson / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
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It hasn't been an easy stretch of games for NY Jets quarterback Zach Wilson. Wilson has struggled to the tune of consecutive embarrassing performances that have many questioning his future with the organization.

General manager Joe Douglas spoke to the media on Tuesday for what will likely be the last time this season and he, naturally, was asked a few questions about Wilson's lack of development and his future status with the team.

Despite Wilson's struggles, Douglas reiterated what the Jets have publicly stated in the past. Wilson is their quarterback and he will remain their starting QB for the rest of the 2022 season.

Douglas defended his quarterback and insisted that there were plenty of positives to go along with the negatives from Wilson's performance. And most importantly, he reiterated how highly the Jets think of Wilson.

"I’m sure he’d tell you there’s a few throws he’d want back but, look, we’re 4-1 with Zach as our quarterback. In his first game back [against the Steelers], he brought us back from a double-digit deficit in hostile territory. I’m sure he’d say he wants a few of those throws back [against New England], but he also had nine explosive passes. There’s a lot of good to take away from that game. I know the focus was on the turnovers, but we love Zach. We love his approach every week. We love his competitiveness. He’s our quarterback."

Joe Douglas

The NY Jets are sticking with Zach Wilson despite his struggles

As Douglas pointed out, the Jets are 4-1 since Wilson returned from injury and they're off to their best start in over half a decade. Despite this, it's hard to feel as though Wilson isn't holding the team back from more success.

The second-year quarterback is ranked among the NFL's worst quarterbacks in most statistics including QB rating, EPA/play, and other efficiency metrics. He's a bottom-three starting QB right now and it's pretty much impossible to dispute that.

In fact, Wilson has taken a step back from his shaky rookie season. He panics at the first sign of pressure, is still making the back-breaking mistakes that haunted him last year, he's inaccurate outside the hash marks, and just looks generally unsure of himself.

The Jets still believe in Wilson and have faith that he'll turn his season around — their commitment to him is evidence of that. In reality, it's the only way they can handle this situation. Once they open the door for someone else to start, they're essentially giving up on Wilson.

It would take a series of disasters for the Jets to consider benching Wilson this season, but this is a situation worth monitoring given his performances in recent weeks.

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Right now, Zach Wilson is the Jets' quarterback. But despite what they publicly state, his future is far from certain.