Jets head coach Robert Saleh stayed above the fray on Tuesday morning, saying he understands that "This business. … When it gets done, it gets done." But he also made it clear that even missing a practice or two isn’t good for a rookie, even if he does have faith that if his 21-year-old starter misses time, he’ll somehow quickly catch up.
"From a rookie standpoint you need as many reps as you can," Saleh said. "But it’s something he’ll have to navigate through. I’ve got a lot of faith in Zach. He’s incredibly intelligent. He’s got a tremendous drive. So when he does get here, I know somehow, some way, he’ll make up for it."
What makes Wilson’s absence most maddening is there really isn’t much to negotiate anymore when it comes to rookie contracts. As the second overall pick, he’s slotted to receive a four-year, $35.1 million contract that is fully guaranteed and includes a signing bonus of $22.9 million and a fifth-year team option. Those terms are non-negotiable.
The other, negotiable details are usually minor. Three years ago, Sam Darnold’s rookie deal was held up, in part, over the wording of a clause regarding how the Jets could void his guaranteed money if he was punished by the NFL (He missed three practices before the Jets agreed that his guarantees would only void if he was suspended, not just fined). Sometimes, rookie deals get held up by the schedule of payment of a signing bonus, especially if a team wants a large chunk of it deferred.
But the offset language is the issue here, and Wilson and his agent, Brian Ayrault, likely dug in after seeing that quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the only player picked ahead of Wilson in the draft, had no offset language in his deal. But that’s a rarity. Most NFL teams – 30 of 32, in fact – put offset language in contracts. Only the Jacksonville Jaguars and Los Angeles Rams do not.
And the Jets are not likely to budge, since for them it’s a matter of principle and precedent. They have never given out a contract without offset language. And if they remove the offset language from Wilson’s contract, they might have to do it for future deals with players like defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and safety Marcus Maye.
Regardless, it’s a bad look for both sides at a time the Jets were eager for a fresh start from their sordid, losing past. If Wilson doesn’t show up for practice on Wednesday, either Mike White or James Morgan will be running the first team offense, and Wilson’s absence will be the dominant story.
That’s not exactly how the Jets were hoping the Saleh Era would begin. It would be even worse if White and Morgan are still the first-team quarterbacks on Saturday, the first time camp will be open to fans.
As for Wilson, he’s not taking any public hit now or any private one from his teammates.
"I don’t think it’s a bad look (for him)," said guard Greg Van Roten. "It’s his personal decisions. I know what that process is. It’s not fun. I know he just wants to play football, just like everybody else."
When that will happen, though, is anybody’s guess. At one point on Tuesday, Saleh said "Let’s see what happens in the next couple of hours." Whether that was just hope or a bit of inside knowledge remains to be seen.
"Everybody knows how important it is to me and our team with regards to reps and practice and process," Saleh said. "Every moment you miss of that process, it does become a challenge."
