Jets owner on Zach Wilson: 'He's not in Canton yet'

The New York Jets spent the second overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft on BYU Cougars product Zach Wilson, a babyfaced hoped-to-be franchise savior many within the Gang Green faithful have already gone all-in on heading into the Week 1 matchup at the Carolina Panthers and against former Jets flop Sam Darnold. 

According to CBS New York, Wilson completed 15 of 20 passes for 191 yards, two touchdowns, zero turnovers, no sacks and a 137.7 passer rating across his two preseason appearances. Despite these impressive, albeit meaningless, performances, Jets owner Woody Johnson was able to pump the figurative brakes when speaking about his prized asset with Judy Battista of the NFL's website. 

"He's not in Canton yet," Johnson humorously remarked. 

Johnson continued: 

"You've got to let the young man experience the NFL and the speed. College is great, but in the NFL all the players are good and all of them want to do their job. It's going to be challenging. Being a first-year quarterback in the NFL is maybe the hardest job you can have anywhere in life. He's not sitting behind Brett Favre for three years. He's out there on his own in New York. His parents are way out and his girlfriend is maybe not in town. He's got a new family and it's the team. Let's not set the expectation that every single game he's going to be this or that. Rather, seeing how he develops and how he protects himself and how he approaches the game. I love what I've seen so far." 

Even the most optimistic Jets fan likely realizes Wilson, like any rookie signal-caller, will be a mixed bag through the final week of his debut campaign. If he ends his season with a Rookie of the Year honor on his resume, though, the sky may be the limit for the new face of the green portion of MetLife Stadium.