Following the New York Jets' thrilling 22-16 overtime win in Week 1, winning quarterback Zach Wilson was the target of a water bottle, seemingly thrown by a Jets fan, after Aaron Rodgers went down for the year with a torn Achilles.
WTH is this @nyjets?? Fans threw a water bottle at Zach as he walked into the tunnel. Horrible fanbase. pic.twitter.com/Z6H4l8tpK6
— Jason S. (@SpideYstow) September 12, 2023
In the clip above, you can see how the fan threw the bottle at Wilson as he headed into the locker room and raised his fist in solidarity with the Jets faithful.
Following this, Wilson's mother, Lisa, took her thoughts to Instagram.
"This happened after they won the game. Hit him right in the head. Awesome [sarcastic thumbs up emoji]," according to the Daily Mail.
It's no secret that Wilson's time as a New York Jets signal-caller hasn't gone how anyone would've hoped, but to throw it at him after a win is puzzling.
Selected No. 2 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft — before players such as Ja'Marr Chase, Patrick Surtain II and Mac Jones — Wilson has struggled in his NFL career. Through two seasons and now Week 1, Wilson has completed 359 of 646 passes (55.6%) for 4,162 yards, 16 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. According to Pro Football Focus, Wilson has 36 turnover-worthy plays in his career, a rate of 4.6%. To put that in perspective, the player with the highest rate in 2022 was Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields, who had a 4.4% turnover-worthy play rate across 444 drop-backs.
With Wilson set to back up Rodgers this season, Jets fans are likely experiencing a wide array of emotions after Rodgers' season was limited to just four plays before a sack by Bills edge rusher Leonard Floyd resulted in the legendary quarterback tearing his Achilles.
Wilson, who infamously once said he didn't feel like he let down the defense, will now get a chance to start the remainder of the year despite completing just nine passes in an entire game.
Zach Wilson when asked if he let the defense down: "No."
The Jets lost 10-3 ? pic.twitter.com/bieN8xaa8v
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 20, 2022
With Rodgers now out for the year, he won't play the 65% of snaps needed for the Jets to send the Green Bay Packers a first-round pick. Instead, the Jets will secure it and send a second-round selection.
Of course, the offense wasn't designed for Wilson in Week 1. But in relief of Rodgers, he didn't attempt a single pass downfield of 20 or more yards. He tried five passes of 10-19 yards, seven of 0-9 yards, and five behind the line of scrimmage. He finished with 140 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception against the Bills.
