You have to feel for Garrett Wilson.
The reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year was set to put up historic numbers in an offense led by Aaron Rodgers. But after four snaps, Wilson and the New York Jets saw that plan fall apart. Despite being open most of the time, Wilson has failed to connect with any of New York’s stand-in quarterbacks, whether it be Zach Wilson, Tim Boyle or Trevor Siemian.
After the team announced that it had signed Brett Rypien off the Seattle Seahawks practice squad and, in turn, released Boyle, Wilson made an appearance on NFL+ The Insiders and was asked about another potential quarterback change. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo asked Wilson if he’s talked to Zach Wilson in the last couple of days and was asked to assess where the young quarterback is.
“He’s always ready to go, and he’s excited for any opportunity he gets.”
Minutes after the #Jets made yet another QB move, WR Garrett Wilson joined The Insiders to talk Zach Wilson, plus Aaron Rodgers and more.
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— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 5, 2023
“Yeah, man, I talked to Zach the last couple of days,” Wilson said. “And one thing about Zach is, he’s always ready…He’s always ready to go, and he’s excited for any opportunity he gets. With Zach, I have his back 100 percent, and I know everybody on the team feels the same way. That’s how we feel about him.
According to The Athletic, the Jets considered returning to Zach Wilson after two subpar starts from Boyle, who was released on Tuesday. However, Wilson was reportedly hesitant to step back into the starting role due to the risk of injury associated with playing behind the team’s makeshift offensive line. Additionally, this is the third time the coaching staff has benched him, which may have contributed to his reluctance.
Wilson was asked about the conversations between the Jets offense members and how they fix things on the fly here and get through the remaining five games on the schedule.
“I mean, yeah, it forces you to have some tough conversations and ones that we didn’t think we’d be having at this point,” he said. “No one’s more frustrated about it than us, and I feel like you can see that; you can feel that sometimes. But it’s also the mindset that we’re the only ones that can fix this thing, and it’s gotta be just us. So, we approach every day like that. We go out to work, and we gotta be pushing each other. You know, this thing hasn’t gone the right way, and the only way to fix it is put the work in.
“That’s kind of our mindset, but it’s been tough. It’s definitely been tough. And we’ve all had expectations coming into this season, and when things don’t go right, it can be tough. But this isn’t the time to phone it in. That would be the easy route. We gotta finish this thing the right way.”
