Jets Rumors: 'Trade Market Hasn't Been Kind' to Zach Wilson amid Fields, Pickett Buzz

What little leverage the New York Jets had regarding a Zach Wilson trade has eroded even further with how the quarterback market evolved this offseason.

"The Jets are trying to find a new home for him, but the trade market hasn't been kind," ESPN's Rich Cimini wrote Sunday.

Mac Jones was a Pro Bowler in 2021, while Justin Fields has thrown for 6,674 yards and run for 2,220 more through three years. Together, they've netted two sixth-round picks in trades this spring.

The New England Patriots got a 2024 sixth-rounder outright from the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Chicago Bears received a conditional sixth-round pick in 2025 from the Pittsburgh Steelers that can turn into a fourth-rounder depending on Fields' playing time.

For a team in the Jets' position, you'd typically say they should just take the best offer on the table for Wilson. That mindset implies there's actually an offer on the table, though.

With the 24-year-old, you have the same financial considerations that helped to drive down Jones and Fields' value. He's entering the final guaranteed season of his rookie deal and has a $22.4 million team option for 2025.

And unlike with Jones and Fields, Wilson has little to no upside. He has had three seasons to prove himself as a starter so far, and the return is 6,293 yards, 23 touchdowns, 25 interceptions and a 57 percent completion rate.

The 2023 campaign even raised questions as to whether he can be a viable backup because the Jets seemingly would've been better with a more experienced vet running the show after Aaron Rodgers' injury.

Cutting Wilson would require the Jets to carry his entire $11.2 million salary cap hit as dead money, so that could be a nonstarter for the front office. Keeping him under contract for one more year and letting him walk in 2025 might be the only realistic path for New York.