The Jets benching Zach Wilson was a mistake, and now they have a problem on their hands

The Jets protected Zach Wilson. Not on the field -- that’s another story, entirely thanks to the injury bug taking to their roster like an all-you-can-eat buffet. But off it, they defended his image until the bitter end.

They didn't add a backup replacement in free agency. They spoke so highly of him throughout the offseason and training camp. They did everything they could to convince the world that they were not giving up on him, because his future in the NFL was still going to be so bright.

So this is a little stunning.

Wilson, benched two weeks ago, is reportedly reluctant to take back the starting job -- an NFL player not hell bent on wanting to play.

Just when you think you’ve seen it all.

It’s warranted for Wilson to be angry. He receives no blame for that.

The Jets benched him two weeks ago. Intentional or not, it labeled him the scapegoat for the offense’s dysfunction. But the unit’s struggles only intensified with Tim Boyle. They were even worse when Trevor Siemian came in relief against the Falcons on Sunday. The Jets had a historically-bad offense with Wilson. It somehow reached new depths without him.

So, this week, the Jets -- 4-8 and on a five-game losing streak -- reportedly came back to him. It was the ultimate “our bad” admission of guilt. Wilson had “reluctance,” according to the report from The Athletic, to retain his starting job -- citing the offensive line and fear of injury before potentially joining a new team in the offseason.

That’s a new one.

Robert Saleh took the only option he could during his postmortem Zoom meeting with the media. There was no way he could confirm the report -- a death knell for Wilson’s career. He also couldn’t no comment -- that’s a back-handed confirmation. So he chose to operate entirely in the present.

Wilson, he claimed, never expressed apprehension to him. It might have been said to someone else in his building, but he wasn’t aware of it. The only thing he knew was that Wilson had come into his office moments before and said he “wants the ball” -- that the meeting only happened because of the damning report from The Athletic, with Wilson and his side realizing the impact that could have on his future.

The belief now is that Wilson will start against the Texans on Sunday. He doesn’t have another option.

This need for coaxing or convincing is a bit of a challenge to process, though. There is no greater level of competition than professional sports. Wilson is a professional athlete presented an opportunity to show he’s among the best of the best -- a dream scenario for anyone in his position. He’s pissed off, sure. But to just brush it off to give the middle finger to a team that’s bent over backwards to prove he’s not an issue?

Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles four offensive plays into the season. Plenty of available backup quarterbacks made their desires to help the Jets known, with Carson Wentz and Joe Flacco among the top players to do so. The Jets turned all of them away because they didn’t want to hurt Wilson’s confidence or bruise his ego.

Now this?

The Jets, essentially, gave Wilson another chance to prove them wrong and audition for his next team. Take the field these final five games, play well, lead the Jets to a couple of wins and walk off affirming to the world not only can you play but you were not the issue. Instead, Wilson chose the opposite. The Jets benched him and he was prepared to make them live with the consequences.

Again, he’s entirely in his right to do so -- justified, even, to some extent -- but the optics of that are so, so poor.

What message does it send to the defense that continued to fight, game in and game out, while Wilson’s offenses struggled? Or the offensive linemen, who while decimated by injuries, did everything they could to protect him? What about the receivers who willingly went over the middle in an attempt to catch some of his higher passes, risking injury?

The Jets made a mistake benching Wilson. That much is clear now. He wasn’t making those around him any better, but he was hardly their biggest problem. They had hoped that Boyle or Siemian would provide a spark. They didn’t, so they want to go back to Wilson.

When this all settles, Wilson will likely be out there. He’s not insubordinate. If Saleh tells him to play, he’s going to play.

But now you have to wonder about the motives behind Wilson’s alignment under center.

The inability to answer that question with certainty is not so easy to recover from.