Zach Wilson has officially been put on notice.
Speaking to the media Monday, Jets head coach Robert Saleh would not commit to sticking with Wilson as the starting quarterback for Week 12 against the Chicago Bears and said “everything is on the table.”
That doesn’t necessarily mean Wilson will be benched. It may very well be used to light a fire under him. But Saleh looks to have taken the training wheels off of the former No. 2 overall pick. Saleh said he spoke with Wilson regarding this decision, so Wilson now knows he is right in the crosshairs.
Saleh also noted that after a game like Sunday’s, where the Jets had just 103 yards of total offense, everything gets evaluated, not just the quarterback. “It’s the whole outfit,” he said, adding the team is evaluating how to best the “best 11” on the field. Saleh did note that he is behind on evaluations because he was tending to personal matters outside of football with the coaching staff.
So why the sudden change after he said he wasn’t even considering a quarterback change Sunday? Saleh said he got on the plane home, took a step back and took a deep breath and decided everything would be evaluated after an offensive performance he said “is not NFL football.”
"Everything needs to be evaluated. When you put up 100 yards of offense, I don't care how good New England is, and they are good, it's unacceptable. That's not NFL football. Everything is being talked about"
– Robert Saleh on going from committal to non-committal on Zach Wilson pic.twitter.com/tzeM8SYWrH
— Jets Videos (@snyjets) November 21, 2022
Saleh did say Wilson doesn’t lack in leadership but that he can be better with taking accountability, obviously a nod to Wilson’s post-game comments Sunday where he said he didn’t think he let his defense down. But he also said he doesn’t believe that is indicative of Wilson’s true feelings about the game and that he’ll learn from it. Saleh doesn’t think Wilson has lost the locker room, either.
Robert Saleh doesn't believe Zach Wilson will lose the faith and belief of the Jets' locker room:
"I think players have empathy for one another. They know how hard this job is" pic.twitter.com/ZiOjSfELS3
— Jets Videos (@snyjets) November 21, 2022
So now the question becomes how does Wilson respond to this? Will he find a way to improve his play? If he is benched, will he fight to get his job back? Wilson now has a huge target on his back and Saleh is making it clear that Wilson’s draft status is no longer keeping him safe as the starter.