Broncos saved Zach Wilson from the Jets' sinking ship just in time

You can't blame the New York Jets for going after Aaron Rodgers as aggressively as they did. For a franchise with the longest playoff drought in the NFL currently and a franchise desperate to have some success, the idea of adding a guy who has won a variety of MVP awards throughout his NFL career is not without merit.

With that being said, it's clear that the Jets wouldn't have been any worse off had they just stuck with Zach Wilson, currently the 3rd quarterback on the Denver Broncos' depth chart and the former 2nd overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Wilson was dumped by the New York Jets this offseason but it's looking more and more by the day like he was saved from a sinking ship rather than thrown overboard.

Broncos rescued Zach Wilson from the Jets just in time

The New York Jets are not a healthy organization at the moment, and they haven't been for quite some time, frankly. The Jets fired head coach Robert Saleh earlier this year after there was some speculation following an incident on the sideline that there might be friction between he and Aaron Rodgers. Those rumors were put to bed by both Saleh and Rodgers, but then to see Saleh fired made everyone think again.

Now, the Jets have fired general manager Joe Douglas, the architect of what many believed to be a top-five roster in the entire NFL going into this season. They are burning the whole thing to the ground.

Douglas drafted Zach Wilson back in 2021 and Wilson was expected -- unfairly so, if I may -- to come in and be a superstar immediately. The Jets have finally put some good pieces together on that roster since acquiring Aaron Rodgers, but Wilson was cast aside before he could really even get a chance with some of the other young players developing.

The addition of Rodgers, similar to the Broncos' acquisition of Russell Wilson in 2022, is likely going to set the Jets back tremendously. They probably won't have Davante Adams back after this year. They now need a new head coach and general manager.

Wilson, for whatever it's worth, had a higher winning percentage than Aaron Rodgers in New York by nearly 10 percent. Now, Wilson didn't win a ton of games with the Jets, but at least with him they were able to justify a young player's growing pains. What's the excuse with Rodgers and the whole host of players and coaches he's brought with him to New York?

The situations with Rodgers and Russell Wilson (among others) definitely make you appreciate what Peyton Manning and Tom Brady were able to do with their new teams a little bit more. Matthew Stafford as well. There's something to be said about the way those guys have approached being in a completely new franchise versus what we have seen from Rodgers and the Jets.

As far as Zach Wilson is concerned, he's managed to elevate his value at least a little bit by being in Denver. He put some really nice stuff on tape during the preseason and should be in line to re-sign with the Broncos as the primary backup to Bo Nix in the 2025 offseason. Another year with Sean Payton could land Wilson a nice "prove it" contract by the time 2026 NFL free agency rolls around, and teams might be intrigued enough with him to give him that kind of deal in 2025.

It's going to be fascinating to see, but another year in New York would have absolutely crushed Wilson's value overall. Sean Payton noted at one point long ago that he felt like Zach Wilson was arguably the most unfairly hated quarterback in the NFL. Payton has a soft spot for reclamation project types at the quarterback position.

With the way Bo Nix has developed under Payton, it's only a matter of time before other NFL teams start wanting a piece of whatever the Broncos are cooking up and Wilson certainly stands to benefit. Thankfully, for his sake, the Broncos rescued him from the dumpster fire that is the New York Jets in the nick of time.