REPORT: New York Jets Will Have To Pay Quarterback A Lot Of Money To Go Away Now After Major Mistake
The New York Jets’ plans to trade away quarterback Zach Wilson aren’t so simple. At the NFL Combine this week, Jets general manager Joe Douglas said he granted Wilson permission to seek a trade this offseason.
The New York Jets should have Aaron Rodgers back in 2024
The Jets plan to move on from Wilson before the final year of his rookie deal. Their overall quarterback room will be okay though. They will have Aaron Rodgers back under center for the 2024 season after he suffered a season-ending injury in Week 1 of the 2023 season.
The Jets will have to pay Zach Wilson to leave
Wilson and the Jets’ bid to find a trade partner faces one significant hurdle. Per Mike Florio with the NFL Network, the Jets are currently on the hook by the tune of $5.4 million for the fully guaranteed amount of compensation on Wilson’s contract for the 2024 season. Florio thinks the Jets will likely have to cut him:
“Their best-case scenario would be to release him and hope for the offset, if/when he signs a one-year minimum deal with another team.
Really, who would pay him $5.4 million for one year, based on what we’ve seen through three seasons? He’s at best a developmental option at this point, not someone to whom the backup job could be entrusted.
That doesn’t mean it’s over for Wilson. Maybe he’ll turn it around with a fresh start elsewhere. It just means that, currently, no one is going to absorb the final year of his rookie deal. Unless the Jets are willing to give someone else a draft pick to take on the full $5.4 million, no one is going touch that salary.”
The New York Jets handled the Wilson-era poorly
The Jets made a terrible mistake by drafting Wilson with the second overall pick in the 2021 draft. They overbought the hype for one great season Wilson had during the COVID-19 season. They’re going to have to pay for it this season, literally.
