Benched QB Wilson apologizes to Jets teammates

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- On the time helium mislaid his starting occupation successful a melodramatic backmost shake-up, Zach Wilson tried to triumph backmost his New York Jets teammates with an apology.

Under dense disapproval from fans and media, Wilson spoke to the full squad connected Wednesday, admitting helium botched Sunday's postgame quality league -- the 1 successful which helium refused to instrumentality accountability for his mediocre show successful a nonaccomplishment to the New England Patriots.

"I had a sick feeling successful my stomach," helium said.

That game, combined with what manager Robert Saleh called a deterioration of basal fundamentals, led to Wilson's benching. Mike White volition commencement Sunday against the Chicago Bears astatine MetLife Stadium. Joe Flacco volition beryllium the No. 2 quarterback; Wilson volition beryllium inactive.

Wilson, acknowledging his mediocre play, didn't question Saleh's decision. Speaking to the team, helium expressed enactment for White but besides vowed to triumph his occupation back, players said. He wanted to wide the aerial with teammates, immoderate of whom were upset by his postgame comments, sources said.

"It was the lone happening I could deliberation of the past mates of days," Wilson said. "I wanted the accidental to speech to those guys and truly marque it from the heart."

Wilson's benching was a important pivot for an enactment that had geared astir everything astir him since drafting him 2nd wide successful 2021. It raises questions astir the aboriginal of the team's backmost position, a proposition the Jets ne'er thought they'd person to face truthful soon.

Explaining the decision, Saleh said Wilson's fundamentals are "really retired of whack" and that helium needs clip to refocus. Saleh has "every intent" of playing Wilson again this season, insisting the Jets "haven't wavered successful our content that he's going to beryllium the aboriginal of the franchise." Saleh described the demotion arsenic a impermanent reset.

"Is it a tiny measurement back? Absolutely," Saleh said. "But bash I deliberation it's going to beryllium a large leap guardant erstwhile helium gets a accidental to reset himself? Absolutely. So, this is not putting a nail successful his coffin. This is not that. This is not adjacent to that. But I bash believe, astatine the extremity of this, it's going to beryllium a rejuvenated, renewed young man." Understandably, Wilson wasn't blessed with the decision, with Saleh describing his absorption as, "Why me? Why now? I privation to play."

"It's tough, man. It's ne'er fun," Wilson told reporters. "The archetypal happening that went done my caput is I person to get to work, I person to get better." The quality didn't travel arsenic a shock.

"You cognize what? I wouldn't accidental (I was) needfully amazed due to the fact that I haven't been doing my job," helium said. "Of course, I would similar to not hold with the determination and everything, but it comes down to I person to play better."

Saleh declined to enactment a timetable connected Wilson's return, saying helium volition instrumentality it "day-to-day." This, of course, opens the doorway to a imaginable backmost contention if White is successful.

The Jets (6-4), hoping to extremity their 11-year playoff drought, person shifted into a win-now mode. They judge their defence is title caliber, and they don't privation to discarded this accidental due to the fact that of erratic backmost play.

They're 5-2 since Wilson returned from a preseason genu injury, but his play has been wildly inconsistent -- a two-year trend. With a 37.6 Total QBR, he's ranked 31st retired of 33 qualified passers implicit the past 2 seasons. He deed bottommost with a career-low 77 passing yards successful past Sunday's 10-3 nonaccomplishment to the Patriots.

Wilson was called retired by coaches successful Monday's squad meeting, sources said, starring immoderate to judge his ouster was inevitable. Saleh claimed Wilson's postgame comments weren't a origin successful his decision. Wilson said helium had nary thought helium had caused a disturbance until his begetter reached retired by telephone and asked, "Bro, what are you doing?"

"It's deserved," Wilson said of the nationwide criticism. "The mode that I handled the concern wasn't right. I've got to beryllium a amended shot subordinate and past I've got to beryllium a amended person for these guys. I person an accidental to crook the leafage present arsenic a subordinate and a leader."

Cornerback D.J. Reed appreciated Wilson's apology.

"Everything helium said came from the heart," helium said. "It was precise genuine and everybody respected it."

"The mode that I handled the concern wasn't right. I've got to beryllium a amended shot subordinate and past I've got to beryllium a amended person for these guys. I person an accidental to crook the leafage present arsenic a subordinate and a leader." Zach Wilson

Only 3 weeks ago, Wilson received a beardown ballot of assurance from Saleh, who said Wilson would commencement for the remainder of the season, barring injury. What changed?

"There are immoderate basal cardinal things person gotten truly retired of whack for him," Saleh said. "This is conscionable an accidental for him to beryllium back, absorption connected those things and find a mode to reconnect with each the antithetic things we fell successful emotion with during the draught process. It's thing I consciousness similar he'll beryllium capable to do."

Saleh said determination are "just a fewer things successful his crippled close present ... that volition conscionable proceed to deteriorate if we conscionable support throwing him retired there." The squad devised a signifier program that volition let him to absorption connected those fundamentals. Saleh said the issues are "fixable."

Statistically, Wilson is historically atrocious erstwhile throwing nether pressure. He has a inclination to look astatine the walk unreserved alternatively of downfield, often resulting successful throws disconnected his backmost foot. Offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur acknowledged that footwork is an issue.

"I person to find a mode to get him to play fundamentally dependable successful the little half," LaFleur said.

White is hardly a definite thing; helium has lone 3 vocation starts.

With Wilson nursing a genu wounded past season, White achieved near-cult leader presumption successful his archetypal vocation start, throwing for 405 yards and 3 touchdowns successful upsetting the Cincinnati Bengals. The erstwhile Dallas Cowboys draught prime got 2 much starts -- an incomplete crippled against the Indianapolis Colts (he near with an injury) and a four-interception clunker against the Buffalo Bills.

White really began this play arsenic the No. 3 quarterback, down Wilson and Flacco. The Jets changed the extent illustration successful Week 8, promoting White to QB2 -- a power that near immoderate astir the squad scratching their heads. Saleh said it was to "allow him the accidental to hole arsenic if helium is the adjacent antheral up."

And present helium is.

"Initially, conscionable excited," White said of his absorption to the promotion. "It's conscionable what each subordinate successful this locker country wants, a accidental to vie and beryllium themselves. But much importantly, it's conscionable a accidental to beryllium a bully teammate and assistance the squad and interest astir the squad first."