Beat reporter explains why Jets may soon cut Zach Wilson

New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas spoke with reporters Friday and left little doubt that quarterback Zach Wilson wouldn't be on the roster if a trade partner had offered New York anything of note for Wilson's services this offseason. 

By explaining why the team should release Wilson on April 29 if he's not traded before or during the upcoming NFL Draft, Jets beat reporter Brian Costello of the New York Post may have revealed why teams could simply wait for the 24-year-old to become available. 

"It would be exaggerating to call Wilson a distraction at this point," Costello noted. "The situation is more like a hangnail. It is just annoying enough to irritate you. ... At some point, though, this could develop into more than just an annoyance. What if Wilson or his agent decide to start making noise to force their way out? Do the Jets really want Wilson coming to training camp as their third quarterback? Guess what? That will be the story of the day if that happens, not the new additions or the return of Aaron Rodgers."

It was reported in late January that Wilson's relationship with Aaron Rodgers "soured" as the future Hall of Famer spent the bulk of the 2023 campaign recovering from the torn Achilles that Rodgers suffered four offensive snaps into the regular-season opener. 

Assuming the Jets don't want Rodgers and Wilson in the same quarterback room this summer, why would a team do them a favor when, as Costello mentioned, Wilson is due a $4.4M roster bonus at the start of training camp? 

While Jets owner Woody Johnson said in March the team wouldn't release Wilson if they couldn't trade him this spring, NFL analyst and former New York quarterback Boomer Esiason later made it known Johnson's claim likely was "just a smokescreen." 

On Friday afternoon, Costello shared an obvious take on the situation. 

"I think it’s pretty clear that Wilson no longer wants to be in Florham Park and the Jets no longer want him in Florham Park," Costello concluded. "If you can’t find him a new team next weekend, it’s time to finalize the divorce, Woody."

Also on Friday afternoon, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic linked Wilson with the Denver Broncos. One problem with such a prediction is that the Broncos may either complete a blockbuster trade to draft a quarterback via a top-five pick or select a signal-caller at choice No. 12 next Thursday night. 

In either scenario, Denver sending even a seventh-round pick to the Jets for Wilson wouldn't make much sense. 

According to ESPN stats, Wilson finished the 2023 regular season last in the NFL among qualified players with a 30.6 adjusted QBR. He's a QB3 in the early days of what he hopes will be a career rebirth, and that reality, along with his broken relationship with the Jets, probably makes him an un-tradeable figure unless a team becomes desperate for a camp arm due to an injury.