After a few days of speculation, New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh announced who would be the starting for their Week 14 game against the Houston Texans: Zach Wilson, the same guy that Saleh removed as the starting quarterback just a few weeks ago.
Saleh said Wednesday afternoon that Wilson had wanted the ball earlier this week, and was "fired up" about the chance to get back out on the field. Saleh also said that he and the staff feel that Wilson gives them the best opportunity to win.
The Jets haven't had a good answer at quarterback since Aaron Rodgers went down on the fourth play of the season. Wilson wasn't meant to be the starter this year, but he was pressed into service because the Jets had nowhere else to go. It hasn't been great for the Jets or Wilson, who is being asked to fill a role he simply isn't suited for. You can practically see his confidence go down little by little every week, just like the health meter in a video game.
The Jets' current "who will be the starter?" drama began during their 32-6 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 11. Saleh removed Wilson in the third quarter and replaced him with backup Tim Boyle. Then Boyle started the next two games (losses to the Miami Dolphins and Atlanta Falcons) while Wilson was bumped down to third-string quarterback. Then Boyle was benched in the fourth quarter of the Falcons game and replaced with Trevor Siemian.
The Jets ended up releasing Boyle on Tuesday and immediately signed quarterback Brett Rypien, but Saleh wouldn't commit to a starter yet. He also shot down reports that Wilson had been "reluctant" to step back in as QB1 when asked.
"If he was reluctant to play, guys, he wouldn't be here," Saleh said.
Now Wilson is getting the chance to start once again. All Jets fans can do is watch and wait to see if the quarterback carousel will actually stop, or if it'll keep spinning and spinning until everyone feels sick and wants to leave the theme park.