3 reasons why the New York Jets need Zach Wilson to rescue their franchise
New York Jets fans deserve a purple heart for enduring the pain of most of the last 20 years. With Zach Wilson now on the team as the latest attempt to resurrect a sleepwalking franchise gets underway, Jets fans have renewed hope for the season.
However, hope is a dangerous thing, and the Jets are way past that stage. They need Wilson to succeed. Here are three reasons why.
Why Zach Wilson needs to resuscitate the New York Jets
#1 - No winning seasons since 2015
It has been a long half-decade for the New York Jets. They have failed to finish with a winning record every year since 2015.
In 2015, Ryan Fitzpatrick brought the Jets a watchable season, failing to make the playoffs but finishing 10-6. It was the best year of Fitzpatrick's career, when he threw for 31 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.
He followed that season up with a rough year with 12 touchdowns and 17 interceptions, which was his ticket to bouncing around the league for the next five years. It took until 2021 for Fitzpatrick to play his way back into an unchallenged starting role with the Washington Football Team.
If Wilson succeeds, it will help erase the last five years of pain for the Jets.
#2 - No playoff seasons since 2010, no division titles since 2002
Who remembers Mark Sanchez and the infamous "butt-fumble"? The Sanchez era was the last time the Jets made the playoffs. They made back-to-back conference title games but failed to make the Super Bowl in both years. 2010 remains the best finishing record for the Jets in the 21st century at 11-5. They have not made the playoffs since the 11-5 year.
It gets worse. They have not won the division title since 2002, earning a 9-7 record and losing in their first playoff game. If Wilson takes off, it will be the first step towards relevancy since 2002.
#3 - Division hegemony is up for grabs
In most NFL divisions, one team rises to be the cream of the crop. The top team often remains in control for a decade or longer.
In the AFC North, it is the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the NFC North, it's the Green Bay Packers. The New England Patriots ran the rule in the AFC East until brady" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Tom Brady jumped ship. With Tom Brady out of the picture, the Patriots are vulnerable.
Another team can step up to control the division. If the Jets get it right with Zach Wilson, they will be officially in the race for the top team of the next decade in the division.
However, if they fail to make Wilson work, they will be stuck behind the Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills and the New England Patriots, franchises who appear to be on the up. If the Jets stay in the same place, they will be left behind and could be doomed to shadow the next Tom Brady over the next decade or longer.
Essentially, it will take at least two to three years to find out if Zach Wilson is the real deal. If he's not, the Jets will have given the rest of the division time to continue to get better.
By the time the next rookie comes to town, there will likely be a new hegemony in the AFC East and the Jets will be in the same place they were in around 2004, once it was clear that Brady owned the division.