New York Jets: As they always say, whenever a door closes, another one opens. This is exactly the case for the Jets at this point, as the door closed on Aaron Rodgers’ season following a devastating Achilles injury that will force him to watch from the sidelines for the remainder of the campaign.
At the same time, however, this stunning turn of events has opened up a golden opportunity for backup quarterback Zach Wilson to prove to the football world that he is capable of taking over the helm in New York.
Zach Wilson is Next Man Up for New York Jets
While there have been whispers of New York potentially adding a new quarterback via free agency, Jets head coach Robert Saleh has made it abundantly clear that Wilson is going to be “the guy” moving forward. Wilson has been QB1 for New York over the past two seasons and it wasn’t until A-Rod arrived this summer that the 24-year-old lost his starting gig. After a series of unfortunate circumstances, Wilson finds himself in the exact same spot he was in this time last year.
There’s obviously going to be a lot of pressure on this young man now that he has taken over the reins again in New York. Jets fans will be glad to know, however, that Wilson isn’t sweating it one bit.
Zach Wilson Speaks Out on ‘Pressure’ Amid Aaron Rodgers’ Injury
Not only is Zach Wilson a very talented quarterback (the fact that the Jets used their No. 2 overall pick on him in 2021 is a clear testament to this fact), but the one thing the former BYU standout has no shortage of is his self-belief:
“A lot of confidence,” Wilson said, Josh Alper of PFT. “I truly believe in myself and I think that’s the first step to being in the NFL. You have to believe in yourself first and the rest will take care of itself. . . . I wouldn’t say there’s a lot of pressure because the guys in the locker room do a good job showing that they’ve always got my back, leaning on each other and keeping our circle tight.”
As Wilson said, he has the full trust and support of his teammates as well as his coach as he takes on the mantle for the Jets the rest of the way. It’s going to be an undeniably tough road ahead for New York as they navigate through the season without Aaron Rodgers, but if the resiliency they showed in their Week 1 win over the Buffalo Bills is any indication of what we should expect from this team this year, then the Jets could be a problem in the AFC.
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