The New York Jets announce Joe Flacco as their week one starter, with QB1 Zach Wilson out until at least week four after knee surgery… as the injured star insists he “won’t play any differently” when he takes the field returns
- Zach Wilson suffered a non-contact injury that required surgery in the preseason
- Joe Flacco is said to be the Jets starter when they step onto the field in week one
- Jets hinted Wilson could play this week before sitting him out until week four
- Wilson also says he “won’t play any differently” when he returns to NFL action
The New York Jets have officially named Joe Flacco their week one starter against the Baltimore Ravens following Zach Wilson’s knee injury.
The Jets had spent the first two days of the week hinting at the possibility that Wilson could play this week. However, after a training session on Monday, it has now been confirmed that he will remain on the sidelines for longer.
As part of the announcement, Jets coach Robert Saleh said Wilson would not be back on the field until week four against the Pittsburgh Steelers at the earliest.
The New York Jets plan to field Joe Flacco for at least the first three games of the season
Zach Wilson has been out of action since tearing his meniscus and bruising his right knee in the first week of pre-season
“We’re going to make sure his mind and body are 110 percent okay and make sure we’re treating him right,” Saleh said of Wilson.
“We have a feeling it will be this Pittsburgh week after we talk to the doctors and everyone.”
Wilson has been recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery after sustaining a torn meniscus and bruised bone in the Jets opener against the Eagles. He had attempted to cut himself while climbing and awkwardly jumped to the ground after his knee appeared to buckle.
Wilson was pictured on the sidelines before limping into the dressing room with an injured right knee
The team had always kept alive hope that Wilson might return in week one and never announced a timeline for his return. However, sources had reported it would be a two to four week injury.
Wilson said he knew from the moment he “came out of surgery” that he would miss the first three games. He later backed down, saying he never had an exact schedule.
The sophomore quarterback also missed four games last year after spraining the same right knee, though he’s not concerned about the knee’s long-term stability.
Wilson throws a pass against the Jacksonville Jaguars in a game at Metlife in December 2021
Wilson actually has no plans to change his playing style, although coaches have berated him for not setting boundaries in the game he was injured in.
“I don’t think I’ll play any differently,” he said. “People will say, ‘You should have gone wide, you should have slipped,’ but it was a non-contact injury.
“The guy didn’t attack me. If the guy hits me and I get hurt, that’s one thing, but if I can’t even run, what do I do? I have to take care of myself and put myself in a better situation. Unfortunately, things like that happen.’
Flacco plays a pass on the run in the Jets preseason game against the New York Giants
“I feel like I’m in a great place,” Wilson said. “I’m confident about where I am… I feel like I got lucky with the two knee injuries. Obviously it’s not a good thing, but I’ve avoided a lot of the big ones you can get.
Coach Saleh, meanwhile, is looking forward to watching Flacco play against the team he led to a Super Bowl trophy. ‘He’s prepared. He’s fucking great. I’m looking forward to him and his chance. Even at 37, I know he has in the back of his mind that he gets a chance to play Baltimore,” Saleh said.
Flacco himself downplayed the importance of the confrontation with the Ravens, but acknowledged, “Obviously there’s going to be some other emotions that I haven’t felt about this one.”
Flacco was the Ravens’ quarterback in 2013 when they defeated the 49ers in the Super Bowl
