In what has been an anticipated move for months, it is finally official that Zach Wilson will be traded to a new team this NFL offseason. The former second-overall pick has long had a very rocky relationship with the Jets organization after being the starter, benched, starting again, moved to third string, starting again, and finally being benched again, all in under two years.
The complicated part comes with which team will want to take Wilson. Last year as a starter, Wilson finished with a 4-7 record, although he also outplayed Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen in head-to-head matchups. The upside for Wilson is there; however, his statistics also tell a story that would leave any team hesitant.
Teams That May Take Wilson
There are quite a few teams who may be interested in giving Zach Wilson a chance, at least as a backup. Here are three of these teams:
Los Angeles Rams
This is an obvious choice. Wilson feels sort of like a Jordan Love kind of player. If given the time to develop and learn, he could be a great player. Anyone who has watched Wilson knows that he has the toolset to make every throw on the field, he just struggles to make the right reads and sometimes miscalculates throwing lanes.
Matthew Stafford is in the last few years of his career. Whether that means one, two, or three more seasons, the bottom line is the same: at some point, he will retire, and what better scenario is there than to have an Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love kind of transition?
Additionally, Wilson’s private QB, Coach John Beck, lives in California and would be readily available to help him out. And don’t take my word for it, former BYU legend and Super Bowl Champion Steve Young agrees.
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers loved Zach Wilson out of college. In fact, they traded up to the third pick in hopes that he’d still be available. Currently, the QB situation in San Francisco is pretty good with Brock Purdy, but the backup situation is pretty interesting.
Currently, Sam Darnold is the backup, another player who ruined his career at New York, but there are questions to whether Darnold is a solid backup within the 49ers offensive scheme. What isn’t a question is that the 49ers run a very similar style to the type that Wilson ran at BYU. Yes, that was in college and a few years ago, but the kind of throws and check-downs that the 49ers run would be right in his comfort zone.
Minnesota Vikings
Like the Rams, the Vikings have an older QB (who may not be there much longer) and not a ton of depth at the QB position. Last year, four different QBs started for the Vikings, and there is little doubt that Wilson would have been an upgrade of any of the backups that paid.
The issue with the Vikings is that they probably don’t want to take risks, and a risk is a good way to sum up Zach Wilson up this point. They will likely be looking for either an NFL draft kind of player or a top five kind of quarterback that will be expensive but more reliable.
Zach Wilson is Just Looking for a Fair Shot
Zach Wilson has both positive and negative qualities that he brings to the table. The New York Jets have traditionally been known as a place where quarterbacks fail, as players drafted to the team often struggle and don’t go on to succeed in their careers. However, Wilson has only completed three seasons in the NFL, which means he still has a lot of potential to showcase his skills and make a positive impact for the Jets.
Regardless, Wilson will find a team that wants to take a chance on him, and hopefully, this time, it will be a team that gives him a much better opportunity to excel and won’t be so quick to bench him.
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