Zach Wilson can only hope his career path follows that of Troy Aikman. But at least the New York Jets quarterback knows that the Hall-of-Famer understands his current plight and has his back.
“I like Zach Wilson a lot,” Aikman told ESPN's Rich Cimini. “From what I saw of him, I liked him a lot. I expected maybe not to see him struggle as much as he did last year, but I think he's got a chance to be a really good player.”
Wilson, the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, had a rocky rookie season. He was 3-10 as the starting quarterback, missed four games with a sprained knee, completed 55.6 percent of his passes and threw 11 interceptions to nine touchdowns.
ZACH WILSON SCRAMBLES FOR A 52-YARD TOUCHDOWN! #TakeFlight
📺: #JAXvsNYJ on CBS
📱: NFL app pic.twitter.com/XPp2NNbquL— NFL (@NFL) December 26, 2021
Aikman, the No. 1 pick in the 1989 draft, can relate to Wilson’s rookie struggles. He was 0-11 as the starting QB for the Dallas Cowboys as a rookie, completingd 52.9 percent of his passes with 18 picks and nine touchdowns.
“I struggled as much as any [rookie quarterback] in the history of the game,” Aikman said.
But Aikman also figured it out after that rough first season. He was selected to his first Pro Bowl in 1991, then led the Cowboys to consecutive Super Bowl championships and was named MVP of Super Bowl XXVII. All told, Aikman was a three-time Super Bowl champion and six-time Pro Bowler. He was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.
So, excuse Aikman if he’s not throwing dirt on Wilson just yet.
“We don't give these guys much of a grace period anymore,” the ESPN Monday Night Football analyst explained. “I don't know that that's necessarily a good thing or a bad thing. I think expectations have changed so much because of some of the success we've seen from some of these rookie quarterbacks, not only in the last few years. It goes back to a guy like Ben Roethlisberger and what he was able to do.”
Roethlisberger was 13-0 and led the Pittsburgh Steelers to the AFC Championship game as a rookie in 2004. The next season, Roethlisberger and the Steelers won the Super Bowl.
Zach Wilson is on the bike as he recovers from his knee injury: pic.twitter.com/V68cmNbwdK
— Jets Videos (@snyjets) August 28, 2022
Wilson is not thinking about championships just yet. The 23-year-old is still rehabbing his right knee following surgery a few weeks ago and is likely to miss the season opener next Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens.
Once he returns, Wilson will look to improve his consistency and prove that he can be an upper-echelon quarterback in the NFL. Only then can he and the Jets, who’ve won six games the past two seasons, set their sights on loftier goals.
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