The New York Jets are making a major change to their lineup in Week 12 against the Miami Dolphins. Zach Wilson, who has been starting all season since Aaron Rodgers injured his Achilles in Week 1, will no longer be the team’s starting quarterback.
It was announced on Monday that Tim Boyle, who relieved Wilson in Week 11 against the Buffalo Bills at halftime, will be starting in his place. Boyle did nothing to instill confidence in the fan base that this decision would help turn the team’s fortunes, as he completed 7-of-14 passes for 33 yards and an interception in place of Wilson on Sunday.
From the sounds of it, this is more of the Jets finally losing confidence in Wilson being able to get the job done than having confidence that Boyle will turn things around. According to Rich Cimini of ESPN, during an appearance on Bart and Hahn on 98.7 ESPN Radio New York, it was revealed that Wilson’s tenure in New York is likely over.
This is something that has been a long time coming. The Jets expressed confidence that Wilson had improved this offseason, taking the demotion behind Rodgers in stride and learning a lot from the future Hall of Famer. Whatever they saw in the offseason didn’t translate to the regular season.
Wilson remained a turnover-prone, mistaken-ridden decision-maker. The Jets were winning games despite him, as bad performances were enough for the defense to carry the team to victory. When he played below that level, losses piled up.
An argument can be made that Boyle isn’t an upgrade on Wilson based on what he has accomplished in his NFL career. But, the franchise eventually had to pull the plug on the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and decided that the time to do so was now.
Rodgers will likely be their starter in 2024, but Wilson’s next destination is unknown. They cannot bring him back as the backup again next season, as a better contingency plan has to be put in place.
Who that contingency plan consists of is anyone’s guess at this point. But, you can be sure that it won’t be Wilson, whose time in New York is coming to an ugly end.
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