The New York Jets have to figure something out with their quarterback position or risk their season going down the drain. The injury to Aaron Rodgers has stopped all of the momentum the franchise was garnering toward being a contender in 2023. But, if a change isn’t made soon, the playoffs will be out of reach as well.
The Jets turned to Zach Wilson in relief of Rodgers in the season opener. He played well enough that the Jets came away with a 22-16 victory in overtime against the Buffalo Bills. Head coach Robert Saleh tabbed him as the starter going forward, but that isn’t a decision that can hold for much longer.
Wilson was a disaster against the Dallas Cowboys as the starter in Week 2. He completed only 12-of-27 passes for 170 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. Those numbers are even worse when you take into consideration that 68 of those yards came on a catch-and-run score by wide receiver Garrett Wilson.
If the Jets want any hopes of keeping this season alive, Wilson cannot be their starting quarterback. So, who would they turn to instead? Former Jets quarterback and Pro Bowler Boomer Esiason has offered up his opinion on the situation.
He believes that the Jets would be smart to sign Carson Wentz to take over as their starter. Part of the appeal to Wentz is that New York wouldn’t have to give up anything to get him as he is a free agent.
“Right now, there’s no other choice for the Jets on the roster,” Esiason said on “Boomer and Gio” this week. “All of us over there at ‘The NFL Today,’ everybody’s tied into something, everybody has an opinion … (and) most guys (think) that Carson Wentz would be the answer because you wouldn’t have to give up anything.
“And I know that Carson Wentz has a perception about him,” Esiason continued, “but Frank Reich did not wanna cut Carson Wentz in Indianapolis. He didn’t. The owner did because the owner overreacted to two losses at the end of the season. … Carson Wentz is not playing for a reason. … (But) he also is not gonna be a guy that’s just gonna (be) as bad as Zach Wilson.”
Wentz was the starter for the Indianapolis Colts for one season before Jim Irsay urged him to be released. He wasn’t released, however, as he was traded to the Washington Commanders, who released him after one season with the team.
Wentz has wilted late in the year the previous two seasons, losing games that would have kept his team alive for the playoffs or locked them into a spot. But, being in playoff contention would be an improvement for a Jets team that is riding the longest playoff drought among the Big 4 sports leagues in North America; the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL.
There are certainly some shortcomings to Wentz’s game; there is a reason he is a free agent after all. But he has a much better trade record than Wilson does and has proven in the past he can help a team win some football games.
