Zach Wilson breaks silence on reports of Jets QB's refusal to start in Week 14
Zach Wilson is back. On Wednesday, the New York Jets announced that their 2021 third overall pick would start the Week 14 game against the Houston Texans. Head coach Robert Saleh said:
“Zach gives us the best chance to win. And we’ll give him another opportunity to go prove that.”
This comes amidst a report by The Athletic that Wilson was reluctant to play again in 2023 after failing to elevate the Jets in an erstwhile injured Aaron Rodgers' absence. Addressing the situation, Wilson said:
“Absolutely not. I love the guys in this locker room and I would do anything. I think any time you have an opportunity to step on this field, you need to take advantage of it."
Zach Wilson says benching has made him mentally stronger
During the third quarter of their blowout loss at the Buffalo Bills, the New York Jets made a change: benching Zach Wilson for Tim Boyle, thinking that it would solve their QB problems, at least temporarily.
It did not. In his first start the following week, a Black Friday matchup against the Miami Dolphins, Boyle had two interceptions, one of which returned 99 yards for a touchdown by Jevon Holland in what has become colloquially known as the "Hail Mary."
Even after that, the Jets still started him against the Atlanta Falcons, only to bench him for Trevor Siemian in the fourth quarter, then cut him on Tuesday.
This puts Wilson back in the spotlight as the team looks to end a five-game losing streak against the Houston Texans. He had only positive things to say about riding the bench for the last couple of games:
“It’s made me stronger, no doubt... As a quarterback, when the offense isn’t doing well, I get it, I do... I think it was harder on me in the past but now I’m in a good spot mentally to just keep going and I understand that it’s part of the game and I appreciate that.”
Regarding his mindset heading into their next game, he said:
“I’m going to have more fun than I ever had, in a professional way. At the same time, of course there’s a chip. I need to prove something, this team needs to prove something, this offense needs to prove something."
The Jets-Texans game can be seen on CBS beginning at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, December 10.