Head coach Robert Saleh made it official on Wednesday, announcing that former second-overall pick Zach Wilson will not start at quarterback on Sunday against the Chicago Bears.
Mike White will get the start with Joe Flacco backing him up. Wilson, meanwhile, will be inactive on gameday.
"We’re going to roll with Mike White," Saleh said. "Same things that we talked about when we elevated him to the second spot … We know he’s fully capable, he’s started in this league, he’s won games for us and we just want to give him an opportunity."
Despite starting White this week, Saleh believes that Wilson will be back on the field at some point this season, though it will be a "day-to-day" situation as the Jets try to correct some fundamentals with the 23-year-old.
"Zach’s career here is not over. I know that’s going to be the narrative, I know that’s what everyone wants to shout out and that’s not even close to the case," Saleh said. "The intent, the full intent, is to make sure Zach gets back on the football field at some point this year. When that is, I’m going to make that decision and take it day-to-day.
"The biggest thing with Zach, and the same thing that we’ve talked about, is the young man needs a reset. His decision-making’s been fine, his practice habits, all that stuff has been fine, but there’s some basic fundamental things that have gotten really out of whack for him, and this is just an opportunity for him to sit back, focus on those things, find a way to reconnect to all the different things that we fell in love with during the draft process, and it’s something that I feel like he’s going to be able to do.
"Is it a small step back? Absolutely for him, but do I think it’s going to be a great leap forward when he does get a chance to reset himself? Absolutely. So, this is not putting a nail in his coffin. This is not that, it’s not even close to that. But I do believe at the end of this he’s going to be a rejuvenated, renewed young man and once he reconnects to all the different things that we’re trying to reconnect to, he’s going to show why he was the second pick."
The move to bench Wilson is certainly not one the Jets took lightly. While the BYU product has gone 5-2 as a starter this season, his numbers have not been pretty, particularly in the Jets’ two losses to the New England Patriots. After throwing three interceptions against the Pats in an Oct. 30 loss, Wilson followed that up with just 77 passing yards on nine completions against New England in this past Sunday’s loss.
Wilson then made headlines following the game when he simply responded "No." when asked if his play let the defense down in the 10-3 loss.
"For Zach and his teammates, I don’t think – maybe there was a little irritation in the moment but I don’t think that there’s a grudge, I don’t think there’s hate, I don’t think there’s lingering effects when it comes to that," Saleh said about Wilson's postgame comments. "It had no bearing on this decision."
Overall, Wilson has completed just 55.6 percent of his passes this season, throwing for 1,279 yards with four touchdowns and five picks.
