Jets finally bench Zach Wilson for Tim Boyle

Zach Wilson’s benching will extend beyond the final three drives of Sunday’s game.

The Jets will start Tim Boyle, who began the season on the practice squad, on Friday against the Dolphins, with Trevor Siemian as the backup and Wilson demoted to the No. 3 quarterback spot.

All three will be active, with Wilson getting the emergency third quarterback label, according to ESPN.

It’s unclear whether the change will last for the rest of the season or just the pivotal AFC East game, but Gang Green need a spark after their record dipped to 4-6 — and further out of the playoff picture — following a 32-6 loss in Buffalo.

And Boyle, who last started a game in 2021, will get the chance to ignite an offense that ended a 41-drive touchdown drought Sunday but still has just one since Week 8.

“Different style of quarterback, so really it’s just to give him an opportunity to see if we can do something with the offense,” head coach Robert Saleh said Monday.

Boyle’s stats — as both an NFL backup and in college — aren’t extraordinary. Twelve touchdowns and 26 interceptions across four seasons with Connecticut and Eastern Kentucky likely won’t fix an NFL offense.

Zach Wilson was benched against the Bills on Nov. 19, 2023.

Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

The 29-year-old has started three games in his NFL career, all in 2021 with the Lions, and he has completed 60.8 percent of his 120 pass attempts for 607 yards, three touchdowns and nine interceptions across 18 appearances.

In his 18th, after replacing Wilson, Boyle completed 7 of 14 passes for 33 yards and an interception Sunday.

He said postgame that his ability to throw the ball quickly could take “a lot of heat” off the offensive line, but he also acknowledged there’s “no magic pill” to fix the Jets’ offense.

“I mean, I guess that’s what you hope for when you do it, right?” tight end Tyler Conklin said when asked if a quarterback change could provide a spark, two hours before reports of the pivot surfaced. “You’re trying to find a spark or something to kind of jolt this offense. So obviously, we’re looking for that. Is that the answer? I have no idea. We’re going to find out, I guess, or whatever happens.

Tim Boyle replaced Zach Wilson against the Bills.

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“I think it can be.”

The short-term reality of the Jets’ move is that their dwindling postseason hopes now hinge on Boyle’s arm.

They sit 14th in a crowded AFC, with four of their remaining seven games against teams currently holding playoff spots.

But long term, Saleh’s decision has once again clouded Wilson’s future with the organization that drafted him No. 2 overall.

This benching doesn’t sound similar to what Saleh labeled a “reset” in 2022.

He said the Jets would determine Wilson’s outlook in the offseason and added there weren’t any thoughts of releasing him mid-campaign.

Last year, Saleh benched Wilson in favor of Mike White, and the move worked for one week. Wilson regained his starting role when White fractured his ribs, but he lost it again.

The Jets signed Trevor Siemian in September.

Bill Kostroun/New York Post

Wilson then slid into the backup role when the Jets traded for Aaron Rodgers in March, learning from the 39-year-old as teammates and coaches complimented his strides, but that outlook changed just four offensive snaps into the season when Rodgers tore his Achilles.

Wilson flashed potential at times, especially in an Oct. 1 loss to the Chiefs when he outplayed Patrick Mahomes, but two of the Jets’ three losses in their current losing streak have ended with the offense managing just six points. He still needs to improve reading coverages and playing the game faster, Saleh said.

“It’s an all-11 sport when you’re looking at the offensive side of the ball and same with coaches,” Saleh said. “Have things gone exactly the way we wanted them to? No. I wouldn’t look at [Wilson’s Jets tenure] as a failure. I’d look at it more a series of unfortunate events, but I stand strong on the belief that Zach’s gonna have a really good career in this league.”

Still, Saleh decided to finally make the change that seemed inevitable as the losses stacked together.

The Jets tried moving offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett from the field to the coaches’ booth.

They tried adding snaps for some rookies, even cutting running back Michael Carter to open playing time.

Their changes trickled down through the running back, tight end and wide receiver rooms.

Nothing worked. The offense still struggled.

So after avoiding a quarterback change for as long as possible, Saleh, seemingly, was left without another option.

The New York Post back page for Tues. Nov. 21, 2023.

Boyle joined Rodgers, White, Joe Flacco, Josh Johnson and Chris Streveler as quarterbacks to log a snap since the Jets made Wilson their second first-round quarterback in four years.

And Wilson, once again, will be a backup.