The Jets Mess Now Includes Kaepernick, Namath and Siemian

Had a last-second Hail Mary at the end of Sunday’s slogfest against the Patriots ended up in the hands of Randall Cobb instead of the turf at MetLife Stadium, perhaps Jets quarterback Zach Wilson would not have been the lead story of every sports page in New York City. But, Cobb was unable to come up with Wilson’s final pass, ending what may have been the worst performance by a quarterback in the history of the NFL.

The Jets NEARLY had the Hail Mary. Went off the fingers of Randall Cobb. pic.twitter.com/pMDJ82BebX
— Henry McKenna (@henrycmckenna) September 24, 2023

Wilson has been atrocious through three weeks of play after being forced into action following Aaron Rodgers’s injury and currently ranks dead last in completion rate (52.4%), but he hasn’t been bad enough to lose his job — yet. However, the calls for that to happen have been loud and clear and have come from all angles, including from a former Jet.

Joe Namath, who quarterbacked the Jets to their only Super Bowl win more than 50 years ago, ripped Wilson during Sunday’s 15-10 home loss to the Patriots. He also tore into him afterward during an appearance on The Michael Kay Show. “Send him to Kansas City to back up against somebody like Mahomes and maybe learn something. I wouldn’t keep him,” Namath said. “I’ve seen enough of Zach Wilson, all right? I’ve seen enough. Has quick feet, can throw a little bit, but I don’t believe what’s going on up there.”

The Jets may finally be losing their belief in what’s going on with Wilson, as they signed Trevor Siemian to their practice squad after bringing in the 31-year-old for a visit on Tuesday. Siemian was a camp arm with the Cincinnati Bengals during the preseason and has started six games during the last four years and 30 in his eight-year career. Drafted by the Broncos in 2015, Siemian is 13-17 as a starter and hasn’t won a game he’s started since 2017.

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The Jets opted to go with Siemian, even though a quarterback who hasn’t played in an NFL game since January 1, 2017 reached out about about a week ago. In a letter that he gave permission for rapper J. Cole to release, Colin Kaepernick asked New York general manager Joe Douglas to consider signing him to the Jets practice squad.

“I know the aspirations this season were, and still are, to win a championship, and so that Hall of Fame-sized hole will need to be filled as best as possible to keep the team on a Super Bowl track,” Kaepernick wrote. “In a perfect world for the Jets, Zach Wilson finds his stride and shows that he is able to lead this championship-caliber team that you’ve put together to the Super Bowl. I believe a confident Zach Wilson has the tools to do this. However, in the event that this is not the case, I would love to offer you a risk-free contingency plan.”

Though in his heart of hearts he probably wants to replace Wilson, Kaepernick was supportive of the embattled QB in his letter. So far, Rodgers has also had Wilson’s back.

“We’re 1-2. Been a couple rough ones,” Rodgers said during his weekly spot on The Pat McAfee Show. “But let’s stay behind our guys. Let’s support our guys, let’s support the boys on the field and stick with our guys and have a little belief. Because as we saw this weekend, anybody can beat anybody. I’ve already seen we’re almost double-digit underdogs at home against Kansas City and they’re coming off a beatdown of Chicago and blah, blah, blah, but it’s a home game, it’s Sunday Night Football, it’s an opportunity for us to go out there and show what we’re all about.”

Given that the game is in primetime in the New York City area and will feature the Chiefs and star tight end Travis Kelce, there’s a chance that the stars will align for the second straight week and Taylor Swift will be in the house to watch the Jets show what they’re all about against Kansas City. Bu if Wilson is still playing after the first quarter, there probably won’t be too much to see with regards to the Jets, except a blank space on the scoreboard.