Joe Douglas Says Jets Are 'Obviously Open' to Zach Wilson Trade; Calls QB an 'Asset'

The New York Jets may have benched Zach Wilson for a second straight season in 2023, but that doesn't mean general manager Joe Douglas is prepared to lose the quarterback for nothing.

"Zach is an asset," Douglas told reporters Friday. "At that same time, we're obviously open to trading Zach."

"There have been discussions, nothing's really changed since we talked down in Florida. We're open to trading him, there's just no update on that."

Jets owner Woody Johnson said in March the Annual League Meeting in Orlando that the team does not plan to release Wilson, per SNY.

Wilson was absent from voluntary team workouts this week, according to ESPN's Rich Cimini.

That absence marks a departure for Wilson, who has been an "active participant" in April workouts for the past three seasons, Cimini noted.

It can't come as a surprise for the Jets, who have openly signaled their willingness to move on from Wilson for months but haven't settled on a trade.

Cimini has previously described Wilson's contract as a "deterrent" in the Jets' prospects of finding a deal.

Wilson, who set to cost $11.2 million against the Jets' cap next season, comes with a guaranteed salary of $5.45 million, according to Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap.

Fitzgerald predicts that the Jets will need to retain "at least half" of that salary in order to find a trade partner following Wilson's struggles. Last season he led the Jets to a 4-7 record while throwing for eight touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Retaining money would still be a better deal for the Jets than cutting Wilson. A release would not only guarantee the Jets lose their 2021 No. 2 pick for nothing, but would also cost the team Wilson's entire cap hit in dead money, per Over the Cap.

Other obstacles in finding a trade partner could be timing, as other teams who began the offseason in need of a backup quarterback fill the position, as well as the Jets' own comments regarding Wilson's 2023 performance. Johnson said in February that the Jets "didn't have" a backup quarterback to replace an injured Aaron Rodgers last season, per Brian Costello of the New York Post.

Douglas may be complimentary of Wilson now, but it's unclear how much these latest comments will be able to drive up the 24-year-old quarterback's trade value.