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Rich Cimini, ESPN staff writer
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — The New York Jets, who thought the quarterback position was locked up for more than a decade when they selected Zach Wilson with the No. 2 pick in 2021, traded him to the Denver Broncos on Monday, a source confirmed to ESPN.
Based on their initial investment, the Jets got pennies on the dollar — they’ll get a sixth-round pick (No. 203) in this week’s NFL draft from the Broncos, who, in addition to Wilson, will get a seventh-round pick (No. 256). The Jets and Broncos are splitting the $5.5 million Wilson is owed this season, with each team paying $2.75 million, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
The trade means only one of the five quarterbacks selected in the first round of the 2021 draft remains with his original team — Trevor Lawrence, who was selected No. 1 overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars. The other four – Wilson, Trey Lance (picked #3), Justin Fields (picked #11) and Mack Jones (picked #15) – were all traded.
The Jets’ split with Wilson was not a surprise, as the franchise announced on Feb. 28 that it had given him permission to talk to other teams about a potential deal. Wilson wanted a fresh start after three tumultuous seasons, including last year as a reserve. The Jets told him as early as last season that they would try to accommodate him, sources said.
It took longer than expected, leaving Wilson stranded and prompting him to miss the first week of the Jets’ voluntary offseason program.
The trade leaves Aaron Rodgers, 40, coming off Achilles surgery, and recently signed backup Tyrod Taylor, 34, as the only linebackers on the roster. The Jets may select a quarterback after the first round in hopes of developing him for their post-Rogers future.
Wilson will be a free agent in 2025, as the Broncos are not expected to exercise his $22.4 million fifth-year option. This decision must be made by May 2. He is due to make $5.45 million in 2024, fully guaranteed, in the final year of his contract.
The move gives the Broncos flexibility as they rebuild at the cornerback position following the release of Russell Wilson. The Broncos hold the No. 12 pick in the first round and are expected to select a quarterback at some point in the draft. They also have veteran Jarrett Stidham on the roster, who started the final two games last season.
“Look, I mean, do we have to pick a quarterback?” Broncos coach Sean Payton said last week. “You’d say, man, it really seems like we’ve got to pick a quarterback, and yet it’s got to be the right fit, the right one. And if you had the tip sheets for who everyone else is taking, it would be easier to answer this question. … That’s the puzzle here.”
General manager George Payton said last week that the Broncos don’t want to “force” the pick when selecting a quarterback.
“Otherwise, we’re going to be in this position next year and the years after that.” You want to get the right player at 12 years old. Our first pick we have to make, whether it’s quarterback, whether it’s tackle, receiver, whatever, we’ve got to get an impact player.”
The Broncos released Wilson in March after two ill-fated seasons. As a result, the Broncos took on $85 million against their salary cap over the next two seasons, $53 million of which in 2024 the Broncos didn’t sign a quarterback in free agency.
Since Peyton Manning retired following the Broncos’ Super Bowl 50 victory to end the 2015 season, the team has started games with 12 different quarterbacks — 13 total since running back Phillip Lindsey started a game in the Wildcat formation in 2020 when Denver there were no quarterbacks in uniform due to violations of COVID-19 protocols.
In terms of the salary cap, the Jets will clear $2.75 million in cap space, meaning Wilson will count $8.43 million against this year’s dead money cap.
It’s been a trying three years for Wilson, 24, who underwent knee surgery in 2022, was benched twice this season, was replaced by Rodgers in 2023 and has had his leadership abilities questioned at times. .
The final blow came in February when owner Woody Johnson delivered the following statement at the NFL Honors in Las Vegas: “We need a backup quarterback. We didn’t have one last year.”
Johnson softened his stance at the owners’ meeting in March, saying, “I feel bad for Zach in some ways” because he wasn’t given the opportunity to spend a year learning from Rodgers. “He never had that.”
Wilson played in 34 games and had an 11-21 record as a starter. He had more interceptions (25) than touchdown passes (23) and completed just 57% of his passes, finishing 35th out of 36 in QBR (33.6) over his three years.
When the 2022 season ended, the Jets made it clear that Wilson would be replaced as the starter. They traded Rodgers but kept Wilson as their primary backup, saying the situation was perfect for him to learn from the all-time great. That plan was promptly blown up as Rodgers suffered a season-ending Achilles tear in Week 1.
The Jets got off to a 4-3 start with Wilson limiting his turnovers but failing to provide an offensive spark. In the end, the plan collapsed. The offense went into a funk, managing just 24 points over a three-game stretch (all losses), and Wilson was benched in favor of former practice squad player Tim Boyle. Some players thought Wilson was a scapegoat given the team’s other problems, including the offensive mix.
Coach Robert Saleh’s decision backfired, prompting him to return to Wilson, who was reportedly hesitant to return for fear of injury and damaging his offseason value. Wilson took over and responded with the best game of his career, passing for 301 yards and two touchdowns in a 30-6 win over the playoff Houston Texans.
The following week, Wilson suffered a concussion. He sat out the last three games after his mother announced on social media that he had “blurred vision and depth perception issues” during the game. Wilson did not speak to reporters until the end of the season, declining interviews as the players prepared to leave for the offseason on Jan. 8.
Perhaps Wilson’s lowest point came in 2022, when he was sidelined for several days after refusing to take responsibility in a postgame press conference for a 10-3 loss to the New England Patriots. This led to a barrage of criticism. Eventually, a tearful Wilson apologized to the team.
It wasn’t the first time a highly drafted quarterback didn’t work out for the Jets. In 2018, they drafted Sam Darnold with the third overall pick, but he also struggled and was traded, setting the stage for Wilson.
NFL Network first reported Wilson’s trade to the Broncos.
ESPN’s Jeff Legwald contributed to this report.
