The New York Jets are suddenly at the epicenter of rapidly increasing NFL trade discussions. Hours after the Jets lost to the Bills on Monday night, reports surfaced that New York now is open to trading Haason Reddick. Now, the Raiders are reportedly finalizing a deal to send Davante Adams to reunite with his former Green Bay quarterback, Aaron Rodgers. Here’s another player with Jets ties who might get a new team before the NFL’s Nov. 5 trade deadline: Broncos quarterback Zach Wilson.
Denver head coach Sean Payton refers to his quarterbacks as orphaned dogs, including the Jets’ No. 2 overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft. Could the Broncos (3-3) acquire valuable 2025 draft capital and a conditional choice to give Wilson a loving home?
Not that the Broncos don’t love Wilson. With rookie Bo Nix slowly removing his Ferris Bueller tendencies, Denver doesn’t appear to need another quarterback for the foreseeable future, which begins this week with a visit to New Orleans (2-4) on Thursday Night Football (8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video).
Plus, as Trey Wingo noted Monday night, Wilson through six games led the Jets to the same number of points last season, 113, as Rodgers has this season. And after Sam Darnold got plenty of love learning from Kyle Shanahan in 2023, Wilson surely would jump at the chance to salvage his career after getting love from Payton (who loved on one of the most prolific passers in NFL history for 15 years in New Orleans).
Never say never, but Adams’ now-former team, Las Vegas, doesn’t seem like a likely option for Wilson. Raiders fans, including owner Mark Davis, aren’t too fond of Payton after some draft shenanigans.
Miami may have been Wilson’s most likely destination but Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said Monday that Tua Tagovailoa is planning to return this season. However, with Tagovailoa’s concussion history, the Dolphins could still be open to acquiring Wilson.
Regardless of where he lands, Wilson is in the final year of his rookie contract, meaning he’s eligible for unrestricted free agency in March. If he doesn’t leave Denver by Nov. 5, he’ll be an intriguing name when the new league year begins this spring.
Denver’s other orphaned dog is Jarrett Stidham, who started two games with the Raiders in 2022 and two with the Broncos last season. So, the Broncos do have experience should they decide to deal Wilson. Stay tuned. If not Wilson, another NFL quarterback might be on the move in the next three weeks.
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