What Zach Wilson's successful surgery means for the NY Jets

Justin Fried

NY Jets, Zach Wilson / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

All eyes were on NY Jets quarterback Zach Wilson as he underwent knee surgery with the help of the renowned Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Tuesday. While the procedure was expected to be non-invasive, there was still a chance that doctors would find additional damage to his knee.

Thankfully, the surgery was reportedly a complete success and no complications arose. Wilson has been given an estimated return timetable of anywhere from 2-4 weeks to 4-6 depending on your source.

Either way, both outcomes are better than the potentially season-ending injury that Wilson could have suffered. There was an initial fear that Wilson tore his ACL, and even after it was confirmed that there was no ligament damage, the concern was that doctors could discover further damage to his meniscus.

The fact that Wilson is only expected to miss a few weeks of the regular season at most has to be seen as a win for both the organization and their young QB. What does this mean for Wilson and the Jets in both the short term and long term?

The Zach Wilson injury update is great news for the NY Jets

While there's still a chance that Wilson will be ready to play in time for Week 1, it seems much more likely that it'll be Joe Flacco starting against his former team come next month.

The combination of the bone bruise and partial meniscus tear that Wilson suffered will keep him off his feet for weeks. The Jets will likely be cautious with his recovery timetable and the second-year QB will still have to go through a ramp-up period in practice before he's ready to return for an actual game.

All things considered, though, the Jets feel confident that Flacco can provide them with stability at the quarterback position until Wilson returns. In the short term, Wilson's absence is not a serious blow to the Jets.

As for the long-term outlook, this is about the best-case scenario the Jets could have asked for after Wilson's injury. The Jets need to figure out what they have in Wilson this season. They couldn't afford a lost season with Flacco starting at quarterback.

Wilson should be able to return before long and prove to the Jets that he's either the guy to continue building around going forward or someone the team might seriously consider moving on from in the offseason. Either way, the Jets should have their answer now.

It seems unlikely that Wilson plays Week 1, but that was never important. The most important thing for the Jets this season is evaluating Zach Wilson. Now, they should be able to do that without any unforeseen variables.

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.