The Jets are trading Zach Wilson to the Broncos to end the QB's failed tenure

NFL

broke down

by Brian Costello

The era of Zach Wilson is over — or wrong — for the Jets.

The team agreed to trade Wilson to the Broncos on Monday.

The Jets will also send their seventh-round pick, No. 256, to Denver and will acquire a sixth-round pick, No. 203, in the trade.

Gang Green will also split the $5.5 million owed to Wilson this season with the Broncos.

The move puts an end to one of the most disappointing careers in Jets history.

The team selected Wilson with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft out of BYU, expecting him to become the franchise quarterback they'd been trying to find for decades.

Instead, he was a disappointment on the pitch, unpopular with his teammates off the pitch and showed only flashes of ability during his three seasons with the team.

The Jets went 12-21 in games Wilson started.

He completed 57 percent (566 of 993) of his passes for 6,293 yards, 23 touchdowns and 25 interceptions. He rushed for 498 yards and five touchdowns and had 17 fumbles, 12 of which were lost.

Wilson started 13 games as a rookie, missing time with a knee injury midway through the season.

He had some memorable games against the Titans and Buccaneers but also had some big misses like the four interception game against the Patriots and the decision to try to run the quarterback on fourth down against Tampa Bay.

His sophomore season was delayed due to a pre-season knee injury. He didn't return until Week 4 in Pittsburgh, where he played well in the fourth quarter and led the Jets to a win.

But he then went three games without a touchdown pass before a three-interception game against the Patriots.

There were rumors that Wilson performed poorly in practice and clashed with offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur.

The Jets defense emerged during the 2022 season as toughness and resentment began to grow within the locker room.

It ended on November 20, 2022 when the Jets lost to the Patriots 10-3.

Wilson completed just 9 of 22 passes for 77 yards that day and was sacked four times.

The Jets lost on a punt return for a touchdown by the Patriots.

After the game, Wilson was asked if he felt like he led the defense down, and he said he didn't think so.

The episode essentially ended his time as a starter for the Jets. Mike White replaced him at quarterback.

He started two more games that season after White was injured but the Jets elected to start veteran Joe Flacco in the final game of the season at the expense of a healthy Wilson.

The team moved on from Wilson entering the 2023 season by trading for four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers.

They kept Wilson as Rodgers' backup, believing that watching and learning from Rodgers for a year would benefit Wilson.

The move backfired on the Jets when Rodgers tore his left Achilles tendon in Week 1, forcing Wilson to become the starter.

Wilson mostly struggled as a replacement for Rodgers and was benched after a Week 11 loss to the Bills that saw Wilson go 7-of-15 for one touchdown and one interception.

The Jets had Wilson back three weeks later against the Texans and he played the best game of his career, going 27 of 36 for 301 yards and two touchdowns.

This came after a report from The Athletic that Wilson had expressed his unwillingness to return to the starting job.

A week after the Texans' upset, Wilson suffered a concussion against the Dolphins in his final game as a Jet.

He was inactive for the final three games of the season and the Jets began trying to find a trade partner. They gave Wilson's agent permission to seek a trade shortly after the season ended.

Wilson's departure from the Jets is another part of a disappointing 2021 quarterback class.

Trevor Lawrence is the only first-round quarterback who is expected to be with the team that drafted him in that class.

The 49ers traded Trey Lance to the Cowboys last year. The Patriots traded Mac Jones to the Jaguars this offseason. The Bears are expected to trade Justin Fields in the coming weeks.