Johnathan Walker:Zach Wilson benched in favor of Tim Boyle, creating murky future with Jets

The Johnathan WalkerNew York Jets are making a change at starting quarterback.

The Jets are benching former No. 2 pick Zach Wilson in favor of veteran Tim Boyle, Jets coach Robert Saleh announced Monday. Trevor Siemian will be No. 2 on the depth chart and Wilson will be relegated to third-string quarterback.

"Just to give him an opportunity. A different style of quarterback. So really it's just to give him an opportunity and see if we can do something with the offense," Saleh said. "All three will be up on gameday, Trevor (Siemian) will be the immediate backup."

Saleh was asked what Wilson's future is with the Jets.

"We'll deal with in the offseason, guys," Saleh said. Right now, it's really just about Miami."

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Boyle’s first start will come on Friday against the Miami Dolphins in the NFL’s first Black Friday game, the day after its traditional Thanksgiving tripleheader.

The Jets hoped Aaron Rodgers would be their savior at quarterback, but his Achilles tear in the season opener on Sept. 11 thrust Wilson back into the starting job.

Jets coach Robert Saleh benched Wilson during the third quarter of the Jets’ 32-6 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

Wilson was able to muster his sixth touchdown pass of the season just before halftime, a 9-yard pass to running back Breece Hall. But Wilson was just 7 of 15 for 81 yards with an interception against the Bills, and he was sacked five times.

"It’s frustrating. I don’t know what to say – I’m sorry to the Jets fans. They don’t deserve this," Hall said in an interview with SNY after the game.

Zach Wilson stats

Wilson has completed 59.2% of his passes this season for 1,944 yards with six touchdowns and seven interceptions, while incurring 38 sacks.

The Jets offensive line has been a turnstile this season, starting seven different offensive line combinations with 13 different offensive linemen seeing playing time this season.

The Jets are 4-6 and in third place in the AFC East, ahead of the 2-8 New England Patriots, but trailing the Dolphins (7-3) and Bills (6-5).

Wilson has a 11-20 record as Jets starter since being the No. 2 pick out of BYU in 2021. He has completed 56.6 percent of his passes for 5,966 yards with 21 touchdowns, 25 interceptions and a 71.9 quarterback rating. He has been sacked 105 times in 32 games during his career.

Tim Boyle stats

Boyle, 29, was 7 of 14 for 33 yards with an interception and a sack in relief of Wilson against the Bills. He played only three drives: His first ended in a fumble, his second was a three-and-out, and his final drive was the interception with 2:30 left.

Boyle went undrafted in 2018 after playing at UConn (2013-15) and Eastern Kentucky (2016-17) in college. He was previously Rodgers’ backup with the Green Bay Packers from 2018-20. Boyle also spent time with the Detroit Lions (2021-22) and Chicago Bears (2022) before joining the Jets this season.

Boyle has played in 18 games during his NFL career, completing 73 of 120 passes for 607 yards with three touchdowns and nine interceptions. He is 0-3 in three previous starts.