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 injured star insists he ‘won’t play any differently’ when he returns to the field
- Zach Wilson suffered non-contact injury that required surgery during preseason
- Joe Flacco is slated to be the Jets starter when they take the field on Week One
- Jets hinted Wilson may play this week, before declaring 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 as their Week One starter against the Baltimore Ravens, in the wake of Zach Wilson’s knee injury.
The Jets had spent the first two days of the week hinting at the possibility of Wilson playing this week, following a workout on Monday, however, it has now been confirmed that he will spend a longer period on the sidelines.
As part of the announcement, Jets coach Robert Saleh said that the earliest Wilson would be back on the field was Week Four against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The New York Jets plan to start Joe Flacco for at least the first three games of the season
Zach Wilson has been out of action since tearing his meniscus and suffering a bone bruise to his right knee in the first week of preseason action
‘We’re going to make sure mind and body are 110 percent and make sure we do right by him,’ Saleh said of Wilson.
‘We feel like, from talking to the doctors and everyone, it’s going to be that Pittsburgh week.’
Wilson has been recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery, after suffering a torn meniscus and bone bruise in the Jets preseason opener against the Eagles. He had attempted to cut while scrambling and dove to the ground awkwardly after his knee seemed to buckle.
Wilson pictured on sideline before limping to locker room with an injured right knee
The team had always kept hope alive that Wilson may be able to return for Week One, and never announced a timetable for his return. Sources had reported, however, that it would be a two-to-four-week injury.
Wilson said he knew from the moment he ‘walked out of surgery’ that he’d miss the first three games. He would later backtrack, saying he never had an exact timetable.
The second-year quarterback also missed four games last year after suffering a sprain to the same right knee, though he is not concerned with the long-term stability of the knee.
Wilson throws a pass against the Jacksonville Jaguars in December of 2021 in a game at Metlife
Wilson in fact has no plans to change his playstyle regardless of saying coaches scolded him for not running put of bounds on the play he was hurt.
‘I don’t think I’ll play any differently,’ he said. ‘People will say, “You should’ve gone out of bounds, you should’ve slid,” but it was a non-contact injury.
‘The guy didn’t tackle me. If the guy hit me and I got injured that’s one thing, but if I can’t even run, what am I doing? I have to take care of myself and put myself in a better situation there. Unfortunately, stuff like that happens.’
Flacco throws a pass on the run in the Jets’ preseason game against the New York Giants
‘I feel like I’m in a great spot,’ Wilson said. ‘I’m confident in where I am… I feel like I’ve been fortunate with what the two injuries were to the knee. Obviously it’s not a good thing, but I avoided a lot of the major ones you can get.’
Coach Saleh, meanwhile, is looking forward to seeing Flacco play against the team he led to a Super Bowl trophy. ‘He’s been preparing. He’s freaking awesome. I’m excited for him and his opportunity. Even at 37, I know it’s in the back of his head that he’s getting a chance to play Baltimore,’ Saleh said.
Flacco himself downplayed the significance of facing the Ravens, but acknowledged, ‘obviously there’s going to be some different emotions that I haven’t experienced before with this one.’
Flacco was the Ravens quarterback in 2013 when they defeated the 49ers in the Super Bowl
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