It’s been over a decade since the New York Jets last made the playoffs. They own the longest active playoff drought at 11 years. A primary factor in their struggles can be attributed to inconsistencies at the quarterback position. 

Since 2010, the Jets have had 13 different players start at quarterback. Six of those quarterbacks were ones they drafted in Mark Sanchez, Greg McElroy, Geno Smith, Bryce Petty, Sam Darnold, and most recently, Zach Wilson. 

Both Sanchez and Smith struggled, with the latter unable to truly flourish in New York, so they signed elsewhere. McElroy and Petty were late-round draft picks that never panned out and were released. Darnold was traded to the Carolina Panthers after three seasons. 

The Jets drafted Wilson with the number two overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft hoping the BYU product would be able to turn their franchise around. However, his poor play has led to his benching this season in favor of Mike White.

Pro Comparisons for Wilson

Heading into the NFL Draft, Wilson was compared to greats such as Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, and Joe Montana. And many NFL mock drafts had him going to the Jets with the second overall pick due to those comparisons. However, the best current comparison is JaMarcus Russell. 

Through his first 20 starts, Wilson has completed 55.6 percent of his passes, throwing for 3,613 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions, averaging 6.3 yards per attempt. Through Russell’s first 20 starts, Russell completed 52.07 percent, throwing for 3,153 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions, averaging 6.22 yards per attempt. 

Mike White’s Turn

So after his struggles against the New England Patriots and lack of accountability in his failure to move the ball, New York turned to White to take over the starting job. White played in four games last season (three starts) in place of the injured Wilson. He completed 66.7 percent of his passes and threw for 953 yards, five touchdowns, and eight interceptions. 

White had a monster game in his first start this season, . He went 22-for-28 for 315 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-10 win over the Chicago Bears. He had an up-and-down game the following week, as he threw for 369 yards and rushed for a touchdown, but threw two interceptions and completed 54.39 percent of his passes in a 27-22 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. However, a dropped touchdown pass in the end zone toward the end of the game would have given the Jets the win. 

Most recently, White had the gutsiest performance of his career in the 20-12 loss against the Buffalo Bills on the road. He threw for 268 yards and was taken out of the game twice due to big hits. After the first one, he returned after a few plays and continued. Following the second hit, he went to the locker room to be checked out again and x-rayed. But he came out in the fourth quarter and finished the game. 

In comparing the two, White has three games of over 300+ yards and two games throwing three touchdowns. Wilson only has one game throwing over 300 yards and has never thrown three touchdowns in a game. In addition, White has a higher career completion percentage (64.37 percent) than Wilson (55.59 percent) and a higher career QB rating (80.4) than Wilson (70.7). 

Wilson or White?

New York needs to accept that Wilson is not the answer and does not fit with the offense. White has proven he can lead the Jets and has outplayed Wilson. He also is more mature and a better leader than Wilson. The Jets need to cut their losses with Wilson, move on from him, and stick with White next year. 

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