New York Jets rookie quarterback Zach Wilson had a rough go of it during a simulated game at MetLife Stadium on Saturday. Wilson completed under half of his passes and couldn't get the offense in the end zone against the Jets' first-team defense.
Wilson acknowledged his struggles afterward and said he'd get right back to work cleaning things up. Jets head coach Robert Saleh also spoke about Wilson's struggles, and he delivered some harsh truths about life as a rookie quarterback in the NFL.
Transcription via PFT's Josh Alper:
“For most rookies, it’s going to get worse before it gets better,” Saleh said, via SNY. “It is what it is. There’s a lot of things that happen. There’s a reason why being a rookie is hard in this league. There was a Hall of Famer yesterday that was inducted that had a 71 quarterback rating his rookie year. It’s not easy to play quarterback in this league as a rookie. Especially quarterback. It is going to get worse before it gets better. He’s at that point now where he’s going to be able to stack up days. We got the utmost confidence in him and his ability and his ability to figure out his mistakes, correct them and get to a better place.”
That “Hall of Famer” the Jets coach referenced is, of course, Peyton Manning, who stunk it up in a big way in his rookie season before becoming one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history. It would be unfair to expect Wilson to become as good as Manning, but this is a good lesson when evaluating the play of young quarterbacks. A rookie struggling doesn't mean it's time to panic and expect him to be a bust.
The Jets selected Wilson with the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft after Trevor Lawrence went first.
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