Zach Wilson is expected by the New York Jets to make major strides in his second NFL season. But teammate C.J. Uzomah has loftier expectations for the franchise quarterback.
The Jets tight end arrived at training camp Wednesday wearing a t-shirt featuring Wilson’s image superimposed on a magazine cover declaring him the TIME Person of the Year.
The hilarious — and creative — clothing attire worn by Uzomah speaks to his sense of humor, as well as the chemistry being built between the new teammates. Uzomah, who played his first seven NFL seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, signed with the Jets after he had a career-high 49 receptions and five touchdowns last season.
Wilson has had a busy offseason, both on and off the field.
The former BYU star added 13 pounds of muscle and was famously called “thick” and “beefy” by coach Robert Saleh. He travelled across the country to host passing camps and build chemistry with Jets receivers, tight ends and running backs. He attended New York Mets and Yankees baseball games and New York Rangers playoff games.
And Wilson was hot on social media recently when his ex-girlfriend made some salacious claims about him.
Now that training camp has arrived, it’s time for Wilson to show that he’s mastered the offense and is ready to help lift the Jets out of NFL’s basement and head toward its penthouse. The Jets have not made the playoffs in 11 seasons and won six games the past two seasons after a 4-13 record in 2021.
Wilson struggled mightily as a rookie, throwing 11 interceptions to nine touchdowns, completing 55.6 percent of his passes and having the lowest QB rating (69.7) of any NFL starter.
His results during OTAs and minicamp were mixed, though Saleh praised Wilson for his play and improvement. Several of his teammates had very positive things to say about their QB1 on the first day of training camp.
Tyler Conklin, another veteran tight end who signed with the Jets this offseason, said Wilson was a big reason why he chose to come to New York.
“How hungry he is to be great,” Conklin said Wednesday about Wilson. “Obviously, when we’re out there practicing, just his talent stands out, his arm strength, his ability to make all the throws. I think he just has everything you need as a quarterback in this league to be successful.”
Conklin added that the number one thing that stands out about Wilson is his work ethic. Time will tell if that great work ethic can help Wilson fulfill the Jets expectations and Uzomah’s Person of the Year prophecy.