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SALT LAKE CITY — Zach Wilson is reportedly on the move, and he's headed back west.
The former New York Jets starter and No. 2 pick in the 2021 NFL draft will be traded to the Denver Broncos in exchange for a late-round pick swap and salary considerations, according to NFL Networker insider Ian Rapoport.
As part of the deal, the Jets and Broncos will swap a sixth- and seventh-round pick, with the Jets agreeing to pay for some of Wilson's $5.45 million guaranteed salary he is owed — split evenly between the two teams, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Rapoport and co-worker Tom Pelissero said Denver will receive the No. 256 overall pick in the seventh round, while the Jets get the No. 207 selection in the sixth round.
The Jets have openly been keen on moving Wilson for some time, but Jets general manager Joe Douglas referred to Wilson as an "asset," as well.
"Zach is an asset, and at that same time we're obviously open to trading Zach," said Douglas during his annual predraft news conference, after the Jets signed Tyrod Taylor as the primary backup to a recovering Aaron Rogers. "There have been discussions."
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— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 22, 2024
Former #Jets starting QB and No. 2 pick Zach Wilson is on the move. Sources say he's being traded to the #Broncos, hoping for a fresh start.
The deal includes a late-round pick swap (6th for a 7th) and NYJ will pay some of Wilson's roughly $5.5M salary. pic.twitter.com/7Y1KShZ3sg
Still, the 24-year-old signal caller who prepped at Corner Canyon High gets an opportunity for a fresh start a short flight from his home state after three up-and-down seasons in the Big Apple (with more downs than ups).
In three seasons with the Jets, who brought in the future Hall-of-Fame quarterback from the Packers last year before an Achilles' tendon injury ended his 2023 season after just four snaps, Wilson completed 57% of his passes for 6,293 yards, 23 touchdowns and 25 interceptions.
After a rookie campaign that saw him throw more picks (11) than touchdowns (nine), the 6-foot-2 Wilson rebounded to throw for 2,271 yards and eight touchdowns with seven interceptions in 12 games relieving Rogers in 2023.
Wilson was benched twice in his second season, then again sent to the sideline for two games in favor of backup Tim Boyle. But New York returned to Wilson to finish out the season, including one of the best performances of his career when he completed 27-of-36 passes for 301 yards and two touchdowns in the Jets' 30-6 victory over Houston.
Wilson earned AFC offensive player of the week for that performance, but a concussion the following week in the first half of New York's 30-0 loss at Miami on Dec. 17 sent him back to the sidelines in what amounted to the final game of his Jets career.
"I thought he had a great OTAs, a great training camp," coach Robert Saleh said late in the season, per the Associated Press. "I thought he battled. He fought. He's a fighter, he really is. Obviously there's things that he wishes he could have back and I know there's a lot of things he improved on. Some things were out of his control.
"I've said it and I'll say it again: I think he's going to have a long career in this league."
In the last 34 games, Wilson has thrown 23 touchdowns with 25 interceptions, and his 57% completion percentage and 73.2 passer rating rank among the worst in the league during that span.
In the Broncos, Wilson gets a team moving on from Russell Wilson, the longtime Seattle Seahawks quarterback who threw for 3,070 yards and 26 touchdowns with eight interceptions a year ago with the Broncos before signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Denver has two other quarterbacks on the roster in Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci, as well as eight picks in this week's NFL draft including the No. 12 overall pick.
The move is strangely reminiscent of one the Jets made two years ago, sending Sam Darnold to the Carolina Panthers just a few weeks before drafting Wilson. Darnold was the No. 3 overall pick out of USC in the 2018 draft, but never lived up to the lofty expectations placed upon him at 1 Jets Drive.
He went on to throw for 546 yards with 16 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in 18 games over two seasons for the Panthers before joining the San Francisco 49ers last year and appearing in 10 games as a backup.
Darnold signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Minnesota Vikings in March.
Contributing: Associated Press
