Jets announce decision on Zach Wilson’s future

New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson throws during warmups before an NFL game against the Cincinnati Bengals at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 25, 2022. Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

Zach Wilson appears to have worn out his welcome with the New York Jets.

Jets head coach Robert Saleh announced on Wednesday that Mike White will start Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears. That means Wilson has officially been benched.

The move does not exactly come as a shock. Saleh said earlier in the week that the Jets were keeping all of their options open, which was clearly his way of saying Wilson was in danger of losing his starting job. The coach said Wednesday that Wilson’s career with the Jets “is not over” and that the plan is to have him play again at some point this season. Saleh insisted the decision to bench Wilson had to do with fundamentals and needing a “reset” rather than losing the locker room.

Coach Saleh says the intent is for QB Zach Wilson to get back on the field at some point this year. pic.twitter.com/R8Cg22B2Wu

— New York Jets (@nyjets) November 23, 2022

Wilson is 5-2 as a starter this season, but he has not played well. He completed just nine passes for a total of 77 yards in New York’s Week 11 loss to the New England Patriots. Wilson then made things worse for himself with a postgame quote that made it look like he was avoiding accountability for the offense’s struggles, which seems to have alienated some of his teammates.

Wilson has just four touchdown passes and has thrown for fewer than 200 yards in four of his last five games. Saleh said less than a month ago that an injury was the only way Wilson would lose his starting job, but Sunday’s performance and the way he handled himself afterward seems to have changed things.

White played in four games for the Jets last season. He completed 67 percent of his passes for 953 yards, 5 touchdowns and 8 interceptions.