Zach Wilson Still Believes He Can Be a Starting NFL QB After Signing Dolphins Contract

Zach Wilson spent the 2024 season as Bo Nix's backup for the Denver Broncos and will likely be a backup again with the Miami Dolphins this year, but he believes he's still capable of landing a starting job at some point in his career.

“I still believe I can be a starter in this league whenever that opportunity comes,” Wilson said, per the Associated Press' Alanis Thames. “And so I just try to put myself in the best situation with the best team and coaches and do the absolute best that I can.”

Wilson signed a one-year, $6 million deal with the Dolphins in March, giving Miami a reliable option behind Tua Tagovailoa. He didn't record a snap in 2024 as the Broncos allowed Nix to get comfortable in his rookie season.

Wilson, the second overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, began his career with the New York Jets, posting a 12-21 record as a starter. In 2023, Wilson recorded 2,271 yards, eight touchdowns and seven interceptions across 12 games.

Wilson's time with the Jets showed that he was still far from being a starting quarterback on a playoff-caliber team, but he showed flashes of improvement last year in the Broncos' preseason finale, throwing for 251 yards and two touchdowns while adding a touchdown on the ground.

Now Wilson will look to grow as much as he can while getting backup reps in Miami, a destination he picked in part because he believes in Mike McDaniel's ability to develop quarterbacks, specifically Tagovailoa.

“You’ve seen what the ability to get people that believe in you (can do), and a staff that makes everything else around him better,” Wilson said, per Thames. “And he’s played at an extremely high level. I don’t think that’s ever anything bad to be around or to see and learn from.”

Wilson may not get his chance to be a starter in 2025, but if he makes the most of his reps behind Tagovailoa, he could be in line for a QB1 role next offseason.