Long tabbed as unrealistic, the Aaron Rodgers journey back to the Jets’ lineup is no longer expected to happen. With the Jets’ losing streak dropping the team to 4-8 and out of realistic playoff contention, the team is stuck with a bottom-end quarterback situation for the season’s final five games.
The starter in the Jets’ past two games, Tim Boyle, is no longer with the team. But Robert Saleh has yet to determine if Zach Wilson or Trevor Siemian will start against the Texans in Week 14. This is obviously a problem the Jets had hoped to bury by acquiring Rodgers, but more Wilson drama has surfaced. A report from The Athletic on Monday indicated Wilson expressed hesitancy about returning to the Jets’ starting lineup, citing injury concerns.
While staying healthy will be important for Wilson’s prospects of receiving another chance elsewhere in 2024, should the Jets finally move on, Saleh said the embattled QB approached him indicating he would like to start again. Though it is unclear if Wilson sought out Saleh because of Monday’s report questioning his interest in returning, Saleh said the quarterback “wouldn’t be here” if he truly did not want to play again this season.
That said, Saleh later indicated during his weekly Michael Kay Show interview (via ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini) that it was conceivable Wilson made such a remark to a teammate that ended up being leaked.
“Empathetically, I’m sure there would be,” Saleh said, via Cimini, about a concern regarding Wilson’s head space due to his run of depth chart movement. “We had this story last year and I think it’s different. I think last year he truly lost confidence in himself. I think this year, as demonstrated by [Monday’s meeting], he knows damn well he should be on the football field.”
The Jets have now benched Wilson three times, doing so twice last season and finally parking him for the since-cut Boyle last month. Saleh’s other options being Boyle and Siemian for most of this season represent why Wilson’s leash was so long this year. The fact the former No. 2 overall pick has a viable route back to the Jets’ starting lineup illustrates how bleak this situation has gotten. Wilson’s QBR figure, after a slight Bryce Young elevation, has dropped to last among qualified players this season. But Boyle and Siemian’s struggles in an ugly 13-8 loss to the Falcons have led to Wilson returning to the starter conversation.
While Rodgers no longer appears in…