Jets trade quarterback Zach Wilson to Broncos, per report

The New York Jets have parted ways with quarterback Zach Wilson. The second overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft has been traded to the Denver Broncos, as first reported by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Wilson joined the Jets with plenty of hype, but the BYU product never failed to prove himself a franchise-level player — or a starter-caliber QB in the first place. Wilson struggled throughout his first two years in New York, prompting the team to acquire Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers last offseason.

With Rodgers going down with a season-ending injury on his very first drive as a Jet, Wilson was moved up to the starting position again. However, his struggles continued to a point where the team has now pulled the plug on its high-prize investment.

With Wilson now in Denver, four of the five passers selected in the first round in 2021 have been traded. Trey Lance (No. 3, San Francisco 49ers), Justin Fields (No. 11, Chicago Bears) and Mac Jones (No. 15, New England Patriots) have previously been sent elsewhere by their respective clubs. Only the Jacksonville Jaguars’ first overall draft pick, Trevor Lawrence, remains in place four years after he was drafted.

As part of the trade, the Broncos and Jets are exchanging late-round draft picks. Denver is getting Wilson and a seventh-rounder with New York receiving a sixth.

In addition, the two teams are splitting Wilson’s $5.5 million salary in half. The Jets and Broncos will each pay $2.75 million for his services in 2024.