Zach Wilson doesn’t believe he was scapegoated after benching

For the second year in a row, Jets quarterback Zach Wilson was demoted to the No. 3 quarterback in the middle of the season. Tim Boyle will start Friday against the Miami Dolphins while Trevor Siemian will be his immediate backup. Wilson will be among the inactives but serve as the emergency third quarterback, meaning he will still dress for the game.

Wilson spoke to the media Tuesday and said he understands why he was benched. One idea he rejected was the idea that he was made out to be the scapegoat.

“I don’t think I was scapegoated. Absolutely not,” he said Tuesday, via Rich Cimini of ESPN. “You’ve got to look at the situation. We’re not scoring touchdowns. Regardless of what I’m doing, my job as a quarterback is to help us score points. I can sit here and say I’ve had a bunch of growth and tremendous whatever this year, but if you’re not scoring touchdowns, it doesn’t matter. It really doesn’t. And I get that.”

The Jets’ one touchdown against the Bills Sunday was their first touchdown since Week 8 against the New York Giants. The offense went nearly 13 full quarters without finding the end zone. Wilson has thrown six touchdown passes this season. For comparison’s sake, Josh Dobbs has thrown four in three games with the Minnesota Vikings after being traded by the Arizona Cardinals. There’s also the stat you can use that Texans rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud threw five touchdowns in one game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

All that said, Wilson is completely understanding of why he was benched and his level of maturity in handling the situation has been miles above where it was at this time last year when he claimed he was not letting his defense down following a 10-3 loss to the New England Patriots.

“It’s a lot different,” Wilson said about his behavior last year compared to this year. “Obviously, I wasn’t doing anything well last year. It was well-deserved. I felt like it was deserved in the locker room. But where I’m at right now, it’s like we’re truly struggling as an offense. It’s hard to point the finger at anybody. I hope we can figure things out and I’ll take that if that’s the issue.”

The benching of Wilson for the second year in a row may very well signal the end of the Wilson era in New York. Head coach Robert Saleh said this week there was no thought to releasing Wilson. Doing so would eat about $15 million in dead money for this year and $5.7 million in dead money for next year. Wilson is due almost $5.5 million in compensation for 2024, including a $4.5 million roster bonus due at training camp. The Jets also have to decide on Wilson’s fifth-year option this offseason, an option they almost certainly will decline.