Two days into training camp for the Jets and rookie quarterback Zach Wilson hasn’t reported yet.
Uh-Oh.
Are the Jets seriously about to Jet on this one?
Before we jump to this completely understandable conclusion, let’s quickly go over what’s keeping the number two overall draft pick unsigned and away from the team.
Wilson’s camp and the Jets are reportedly in a game of chicken over the “offset” language in Wilson’s rookie contract.
Alright, run that by us again? What’s keeping Wilson away?
The biggest detail is with the “offset” language in the contract, according to a source familiar with the talks,” reports Ralph Vacchiano of SNY. “It’s a clause that allows teams to reduce what they owe a player they cut if he’s signed by another team – a seemingly silly fight to have considering it would take a catastrophe for the Jets to even consider cutting Wilson before the end of his four-year, rookie deal.”
I wonder if this is part of the adversity Robert Saleh said he’s genuinely excited for in his first training camp as an NFL head coach.
Vacchiano goes on to also highlight two significant points of interest in this – situation.
Wilson, as the second overall pick, is slotted to receive a four-year, $35.1 million contract. It is fully guaranteed and includes a $22.9 million signing bonus. There’s also a fifth-year team option. And those terms are non-negotiable.
The second point goes back to why we’re discussing this, and that’s the offset language. Trevor Lawrence, the only player picked ahead of Wilson in this year’s draft, had no offset language in his deal. If Wilson’s agent is on his job, and it looks like he is, then his camp picked up on the vibe and now they’re looking for a similar situation.
The thing with that, however, is offset language isn’t a foreign concept in the NFL. Vacchiano points out that 30 of the 32 teams in the league put offset language in contracts. The two teams that do not are the Los Angeles Rams and – Lawrence’s team – the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Alright, we’ve established offset language as the main issue. So, are the Jets seriously about to Jet on this one? Well, yes and no.
While Wilson’s camp is right to make sure all their bases are covered on the finances for the future franchise quarterback, Vacchiano believes the Jets “are not likely to budge” on their position.
Furthermore, the Jets have a valid reason to hold their position and it has everything to do with maintaining discipline.
The Jets have never given out a contract without offset language in it. If they do it for Wilson, there’s a good chance the agents for their young core players Quinnen Williams and Marcus Maye (especially Maye) are paying close attention to these negotiations.
Is it the same ol’ Jets again? Well, that remains to be seen how long this holdout goes for Wilson and how well the communication remains between both sides.
It’s important to remember during this saga how important it is for the Jets to get Wilson into camp; preferably as soon as humanly possible. A 2-14 record last season ultimately led them to this point. The fan base is ready to see their new face of the franchise.
