Jets teammate suggests Zach Wilson made big mentality change

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

Out of nowhere, Zach Wilson had one of the best games of his career Sunday against the Houston Texans. Based on what one of his New York Jets teammates said, that might not be coincidence.

Jets cornerback DJ Reed revealed that Wilson had made a big proclamation about his mentality prior to the team’s 30-6 win over Houston. The quarterback told teammates he was playing for them and had “nothing to lose.”

DJ Reed said that Zach Wilson said to him this week: “I'm playing for y'all. I have nothing to lose. He said, 'What's the worst that can happen, I get benched again?' That's what he said and that's the way he played. It showed."

Zach needs to continue to play with that mentality https://t.co/soG3KuBHFt

— Jake Asman (@JakeAsman) December 11, 2023

“‘I’m playing for y’all. I have nothing to lose,'” Reed said Wilson told teammates. “He said, ‘What’s the worst that can happen, I get benched again?'”

Whatever Wilson was thinking, it worked. The quarterback went 27/36 for 301 yards with two touchdowns, and his 117.9 quarterback rating was his best single-game mark of his career. Considering how tentative Wilson has looked at times, as if he is afraid of making a mistake, this certainly suggests whatever he did was a positive.

Considering Wilson was the subject of reports suggesting he did not even want to play prior to the game, things went very well for him. While easier said than done, the “nothing to lose” mentality may serve him well going forward.