New York Jets: Zach Wilson contract situation is disappointing
The New York Jets don’t have their new franchise QB under contract and on the field for his first NFL training camp. What is the issue?
The New York Jets have a brand new head coach in Robert Saleh. They used the second overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft on BYU breakout star quarterback Zach Wilson.
As the New York Jets opened up training camp on Tuesday, Wilson was not on the field.
Why?
Because he’s a contract holdout.
The NFL’s collective bargaining agreement — just like the last one — has slotted rookie contracts, so the framework of Wilson’s rookie deal is already in place. There are sometimes issues with “offset language” and how much money goes to the player immediately upon signing, but for the most part, these deals are cut and dry.
This type of report on day one of New York Jets Jets training camp is certainly not of the “welcomed” variety.
Robert Saleh said every player is here but Zach Wilson #Jets
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) July 27, 2021
This is not a great look for the #Jets to not have the QB in camp. Second time they have let a contract get in the way of a rookie QB signing. Id imagine similar issues- void language, offsets, and timing of bonus payments
— Jason_OTC (@Jason_OTC) July 27, 2021
Every player is at camp except the team’s brand-new franchise quarterback, eh?
That’s just about enough to drive every New York Jets fan absolutely nuts.
For the time being, this is nothing to panic about. Wilson wasn’t a holdout from OTAs and he will eventually show up at camp. But this is outrageous given the fact that there are a few things at play here.
First and foremost, the New York Jets are trying to build a new culture, not revert to bad habits.
Second, this is a team with a quarterback room that has absolutely zero collective experience in the NFL.
Third, this contract is slotted and fourth, everyone knew when training camp was going to open. If you know that you have a deadline as a player, agent, and franchise, how do you not get this deal done?
It’s an absolute garbage job of management by the New York Jets, and it’s ridiculous of Wilson’s agent to not be doing everything possible to get this particular player onto the field as soon as possible when every rep is precious.
Any outraged Jets fan is not overreacting either. Many will point to the fact that Trey Lance is also unsigned at this point in time, which is true, but Lance’s deal is expected to get done soon and the 49ers did not open camp on Tuesday as the Jets did. Lance is also not the unquestioned starter this season.
Wilson is.
The Jets need to get this guy in camp ASAP and Wilson’s agent should be working tirelessly to get the deal done. There is absolutely no excuse for a rookie holdout in today’s NFL especially with the stakes this high.
The sooner this situation is resolved, the better, but it’s obviously a massive disappointment that both parties let things get to this point in the first place.