Zach Wilson's roller-coaster Jets career makes next stop in Dallas

Nathaniel Hackett started his offensive meeting this past week with a picture of a roller-coaster and some faces of Jets players riding it.

The Jets’ offensive coordinator did the same thing before Week 1, but the symbolism hit differently this time.

Hackett’s message is the NFL season has so many highs and lows. The Jets had a profound firsthand experience of that on Monday night.

The season opened with so much hope. Four offensive snaps into it, Aaron Rodgers — the main reason for the hope — tore his left Achilles tendon and was lost for probably the season.

The Jets didn’t crumble, though. They fought back and won the game, beating the Buffalo Bills in overtime.

“It is a roller-coaster because they’re really fun; they can be very scary at times,” Hackett said. “Then you get that relief and relaxation once you get down. I just think that’s what this is. Everybody has to be prepared for it. You never know what’s going to happen. The idea is to enjoy the ride when you’re on it.”

Zach Wilson’s career has been a wild roller-coaster ride, filled with steep inclines, sharp turns, deep drops and fast falls from grace. And he’s still on the crazy ride.

The plan this season was for Wilson to observe, learn and grow from watching Rodgers, but with Rodgers injured, the Jets are Wilson’s team again. He will lead the offense Sunday against a Dallas defense that registered seven sacks last week in a 40-0 romp over the Giants.

“I’m very excited to be on the field,” Wilson said. “Of course, the way it all happened and everything isn’t exciting. If I could have [Rodgers] not get injured, I definitely would. At the same time, I’m excited to get on the field.”

The Jets drafted Wilson second overall in 2021 and handed him the keys to the franchise — but he showed he was not ready to drive it.

Wilson was benched twice last season. He turned off the locker room and especially the defensive players for not holding himself accountable after a 10-3 loss in New England. Wilson was out, but not gone.

The Jets traded for Rodgers to lift this franchise to new heights. The four-time MVP also tried to help teach Wilson what it takes to be an NFL quarterback, from reading defenses to footwork to relating and leading.

Out of necessity, Wilson is back under center, and Robert Saleh said the Jets are “Zach’s team.” There is an unsaid caveat, however, that if he struggles, the Jets will look elsewhere.

The Jets believe they have a championship-caliber defense. Rodgers was considered the missing piece to a Super Bowl run.

Wilson, who threw six touchdown passes and seven interceptions last season, never said he is looking at this opportunity as a shot at redemption. There really is no other way to look at it, though.

If Wilson can help the Jets reach the playoffs, they might have someone to turn to when Rodgers — who is planning to return in 2024 — retires. If Wilson fumbles this opportunity, the Jets would seem to have to move on.

“I know what I’m capable of and I feel like I got the belief from the guys in this locker room,” Wilson said. “So how can we go out there every single day and piece it together one by one? Aaron’s a hell of a player. I need to just try and do my job and keep this team going.”

By all accounts, Wilson is in a better place mentally. The “stresses” last year took the love of football away from him. He has rediscovered it and forged better relationships with the people around him.

Saleh said Wilson is communicating differently with his teammates and coaches and that “he’s got a different aura about him that has been very good.”

When Wilson spoke with reporters Thursday, running back Dalvin Cook shouted, “Zach, we love you, bro!”

Wilson has received support from all corners of the locker room. Coaches and teammates have been pumping him up. They say they believe in him, and he’s grown as a person and player from all the time he spent with Rodgers.

“[We have] all the confidence in the world,” Garrett Wilson said.

Defensive leader C.J. Mosley said Wilson has made strides since last year.

“Zach’s been in the room learning and doing great things and improving every single day, especially since he’s been going against us,” Mosley said. “It’s not like we’ve been slacking off. He’s made some really good throws against us.

It’s all about confidence and everybody working together. So we have no issue with Zach being back there.”

The Jets were impressed with Wilson’s composure Monday night after he replaced Rodgers. He helped them to a 22-16 win in a game they trailed by 10 at halftime. It’s an area in which the Jets believe Wilson has grown, and not the only one.

“The easy stuff doesn’t look hard anymore,” Saleh said. “He gets back there, he does the fundamental things so well, his footwork is unbelievable.”

Things could be different this time in part because of the people in Wilson’s corner, starting with Rodgers.

Wilson said watching the former Super Bowl champion, picking his brain and taking his advice has made him better.

“Absolutely,” he said. “I feel like I’ve been trying to copy every little thing he’s doing from his footwork to the coaching tips he’s given us. He does an amazing job, more than we could ever ask for as quarterbacks.”

Hackett and passing game coordinator Todd Downing are new to the Jets but have had a positive influence on Wilson physically and mentally. New veteran skill players Cook, Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb are voices who can help Wilson.

The Jets also have some important pieces back.

Wilson was 4-0 as a starter last year when playing with running back Breece Hall and guard Alijah Vera-Tucker. Both were injured at Denver in Week 7, and the offense was never the same. Hall and Vera-Tucker played big roles in the Jets’ win Monday, as did right tackle Mekhi Becton, who missed all of last season.

So now it’s on Wilson to show how far he’s come and prove once and for all that he can lead this franchise.

“It’s a great opportunity for Zach,” tight end Tyler Conklin said. “Everybody talked about how long Aaron can be here, two, three years and then Zach gets to take over. That’s the hope, right? I think the really cool thing is Zach has improved so much in such little time that this is such a good opportunity for him to become the player that he wants to become.

“All the opportunities that he had going into last year and the excitement, he gets that opportunity again. He doesn’t have to wait. He’s in such a good spot. I’m just excited to see what he does with it.”

Wilson and the Jets hope they can enjoy this ride.

By Al Iannazzone

al.iannazzone@newsday.comAl_Iannazzone

Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.