It was at his third post-New York stop where Sam Darnold broke out as a quality NFL starting quarterback.
Will Zach Wilson do the same?
The former New York Jets quarterback has found his third NFL home since leaving the team that drafted him second overall in 2021. He’s off to the New Orleans Saints, per Nick Underhill.
It marks Wilson’s debut in the NFC after spending his first five seasons on the AFC side of things. Wilson played for the Jets from 2021-23 before being dealt to the Denver Broncos in 2024. He was a member of the Miami Dolphins in 2025.
Unlike Darnold, Wilson has not been trusted enough by his teams to get a legitimate second chance as a starter. Since leaving the Jets, Wilson has thrown just 11 regular season passes across four games (zero starts). He completed six of those (54.5%) for 32 yards (2.9 yards per attempt), no touchdowns, and no interceptions.
Wilson entered the 2025 season as Miami’s backup, but when starter Tua Tagovailoa went down late in the season, the Dolphins chose their third-stringer, seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers, to start over Wilson.
In New Orleans, Wilson joins a quarterback room that also features Tyler Shough and Spencer Rattler. Sough, a 2025 second-round pick, will start after a hot finish to his rookie year. As things currently stand, Wilson is set to compete with Rattler for the backup quarterback job.
Wilson hopes that the tutelage of Saints head coach Kellen Moore can get his career back on track. Clearly, NFL teams see some sort of lasting potential in Wilson, as he continues to land jobs. But after being passed over as Miami’s backup late in the 2025 season, his stock is at an all-time low.
A strong summer in black-and-gold will be necessary for Wilson to save his NFL career.
