Jets grant Zach Wilson permission to seek a trade

Zach Wilson’s time with the Jets is likely nearing its end.

During his Wednesday press conference at the scouting combine in Indianapolis, New York General Manager Joe Douglas said that Wilson and his representation have been granted permission to seek a trade.

“Where we are exactly, we’ve given them permission to talk to other teams about a trade,” Douglas said. “I’m going to circle back with [Wilson’s agent] at some point, either this week or next week, just to see how those conversations are going. But other than that, there’s nothing else to report.”

The No. 2 overall pick of the 2021 draft, Wilson has had a tumultuous first three seasons in the league. Wilson has completed just 57 percent of his career passes for 6,293 yards with 23 touchdowns and 25 interceptions. The Jets have gone 12-21 with him as a starting quarterback.

Wilson was supposed to sit back as New York’s backup in 2023, but that plan changed when Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles just four snaps into the season. In 12 games with 11 starts, Wilson completed 60.1 percent of his throws for 2,271 yards with eight touchdowns and seven interceptions in 2023. At one point, there was reporting that Wilson was wary of playing again after he’d been benched because of the possibility of injury.

Rodgers is set to return as the Jets’ starter in 2024. Instead of Wilson being New York’s backup, the team is exploring the veteran market.

“Yeah, that’s part of the discussions that we’ve had,” Douglas said. “It’s an area that we’re going to be addressing moving forward. Again, we’re still really early in the offseason, especially when it comes to the veteran backup landscape and market.

“We’ve had good meetings, good evaluations with the guys who are available. And I think we’re ready to take the next step and see where the market is exactly with these backup quarterbacks.’

It’s currently unclear, however, what kind of trade market there is for Wilson’s services. A team that trades for him before early May would have the opportunity to exercise his fifth-year option. But based on Wilson’s level of performance, it seems unlikely that any team would fully guarantee his salary for 2025.