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It would be challenging . . .
to remember another scenario like this.
A QB is picked second overall in the draft, and then in his third year, the team takes a timeout with him, brings in a veteran QB, and pays him good money to take over as the starter.
That is what the Jets are attempting to do.
Before I continue, I want to make it clear, I’m not judging. This might work out well, but it is certainly an eclectic approach.
And many of us would be hard-pressed to think of many scenarios similar to this in NFL history.
Joe Douglas was asked about this esoteric scenario.
Q: Joe, what’s your hope for Zach Wilson through all this, whether it’s Derek or another veteran quarterback, can you keep his status and his development in mind while you’re going through all of this?
Douglas: In talking with Nathaniel (Hackett) and Todd (Downing), and our staff, they’re so excited to get with Zach and start working. I know they’ve had some positive discussions, but again, our stance on Zach hasn’t changed. We feel like Zach has a very high ceiling. Obviously, the first two years haven’t played out the way that anybody’s hoped, but we still feel like there’s a very high ceiling with Zach and in my time in the League, I found that when players love this game, and when players work their tails off, they usually hit their ceiling and so I feel like Zach definitely has those traits, so still feel strongly that Zach’s going to be able to hit his ceiling.
But if you are the veteran QB they bring in, how would you feel about this reboot lingering in the background?
This is kind of a new-fangled version of having a veteran starting QB, and then drafting a QB in the first round, and you get the sense that it’s a matter of time before the kid takes over.
But in this case, the veteran would be signing with a new team with the first-round QB already in the building and has played two seasons.
I’m telling you this is a very unique potential situation.
And the New York media potentially could have a field day with this.
If the veteran is struggling, Saleh will be bombarded with questions about when he’s going to Wilson.
And if it’s Carr, while he’s got plenty of talent, he’s certainly had stretches where he’s struggled, with a 63-79 lifetime record.
This could turn into Kabuki Theatre.
You have to wonder, if some veteran QBs, maybe even Carr, might look at this scenario, with the Wilson reboot going on, as a potential powder keg they would prefer to avoid.
Let’s go back to the first sentence of that quote:
“In talking with Nathaniel (Hackett) and Todd (Downing), and our staff, they’re so excited to get with Zach and start working.”
With all due respect to Joe, what do you expect them to say?
Secondly, if the Jets add a veteran QB, and he needs to get up to speed with the Jets playbook and get don’t the same page with his new teammates throughout the spring and summer, shouldn’t getting the new QB getting ready for this season take up a lion’s share of their time, not that Wilson re-boot? Perhaps they can do both, but that is a lot on their plates.
Once again, this could be a very unique chapter in Jets history we could be entering pretty soon.
March 1, 2023
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