The New York Jets won’t be checking to see if recently retired quarterback Tom Brady has any interest in returning to football, multiple league sources told The Athletic. Here’s what you need to know:
- Brady, 46, has made it clear to people close to him that he’s done playing football, per sources.
- Jets coach Robert Saleh said Tuesday that 2021 first-round pick Zach Wilson is “our quarterback” and there’s no competition.
- New York plans to start Wilson against the Dallas Cowboys and beyond, per multiple sources.
- The Jets started to reach out to veteran free-agent QBs on Tuesday, per sources. Tim Boyle is the only quarterback behind Wilson on New York’s roster.
The Jets have made it clear the last 24 hours that Zach Wilson is their starter. I’m told this is their plan headed into Dallas and beyond, per multiple sources. While they have looked at every option on the table, the team believes Wilson is their best choice.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) September 13, 2023
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
What’s next for the Jets?
Aaron Rodgers’ injury news didn’t come as a major surprise — but that didn’t make it hurt any less. It’s almost as if the last five months of bliss with Rodgers as the Jets quarterback didn’t even happen — and now the Jets are back where they started, with Wilson leading the way. The difference: Last season the Jets didn’t have high expectations. This year, they were dreaming of the Super Bowl.
Wilson was solid at times against the Bills, but he ultimately made a lot of the same mistakes he did in a miserable 2022. The plan was always to sit him for the 2023 season and let him learn from Rodgers, with the goal being that he could eventually replace Rodgers. If all went according to plan, Wilson never would’ve played at all. Now, he’s the starter again in Week 2 — and it’ll be interesting to see if Joe Douglas works to add a veteran in free agency like Matt Ryan or Joe Flacco, or via a trade like Jameis Winston. — Rosenblatt
GO DEEPER
What should Jets do at QB? Stick with Zach Wilson? Make a trade? NFL execs weigh in
Backstory
Saleh confirmed in a Tuesday news conference that Rodgers tore his Achilles tendon, ending his first season with the franchise.
He also said that Wilson, the Jets’ No. 2 pick in 2021, has grown in confidence and that he can handle this moment. He added Wilson is “leap years” from where he was a year ago.
Rodgers left his much-hyped New York debut on “Monday Night Football” after four plays. He suffered the Achilles injury when Buffalo Bills defensive end Leonard Floyd sacked him on the team’s opening drive. After getting up, the 39-year-old dropped back to the turf and limped off the field with help from trainers before being sent for X-rays.
GO DEEPER
What’s the recovery timeline for an Achilles injury?
Wilson replaced Rodgers in Monday’s game and threw a touchdown and an interception in the team’s stunning, come-from-behind 22-16 overtime win. Rodgers attempted just one pass — an incompletion — before the injury.
Brady announced his retirement from the NFL in February after 23 seasons. He previously came back from a short retirement to play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season.
Required reading
(Photo: Jim McIsaac / Getty Images)
