Jets star Sauce Gardner defends ‘baller’ Zach Wilson amid rumors suggesting a lack of interest surrounding the QB in the trade market: ‘This has to be cap’
- Zach Wilson became the Jets’ starting quarterback after Aaron Rodgers’ injury
- The Jets selected Wilson out of BYU with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 draft
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New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner has come to Zach Wilson’s defense as rumors suggest no one is interested in trading for the quarterback.
NFL Notifications, a news aggregation account on X, cited a rumor surrounding Wilson on Thursday. Without identifying a source, the report wrote that “no team has shown much interest” in Wilson.
“The Jets are being told they must either attach a draft pick to Wilson or eat most of his remaining salary to make a trade happen,” the page added.
Gardner strongly disagreed with the post, writing, “This needs to be a limit.”
“Zach is a baller. All he needs is time to throw the ball and if for some reason he doesn’t have it, he can do it with his legs,” he continued in the repost.
Sauce Gardner defended Zach Wilson amid rumors about his value on the trade market
NFL Notifications wrote Thursday that “no team has shown much interest” in Wilson
The New York Post confirmed the Jets gave Wilson the green light to explore a trade after benching him for third-string quarterback Tim Boyle in November.
Weeks later, Wilson returned to the starting lineup and was expected to start for the remainder of the season despite his reluctance. Unfortunately, Wilson suffered a concussion in a loss to the Miami Dolphins in Week 15.
That was likely the end of his quiet tenure with the Jets.
After being drafted with the No. 2 overall pick in 2021, Wilson started for the Jets in Week 1 of his rookie season. However, his inconsistencies moved him lower on the depth chart. Wilson completed 57 percent of his passes for 6,293 yards and 23 touchdowns with 25 interceptions.
Wilson returned to a starting role this past season after Aaron Rodgers went down with a season-ending injury on opening night. As a result, Wilson, Boyle and Trevor Siemian all got minutes as the Jets scrambled in Rodgers’ absence.
Although Wilson completed 60.1 percent of his passes for 2,271 yards and eight touchdowns with seven interceptions in 12 appearances this season, Gardner remained adamant about his teammate’s abilities.