An already difficult season for second-year Jets quarterback Zach Wilson took a bizarre turn over the holiday weekend when screenshots emerged of his mother appearing to trade barbs with members of the team’s fanbase.
However, Lisa Wilson has set the record straight on the controversial Instagram DMs, revealing that the images were fake.
The situation began to unfold last Friday when seemingly legitimate screenshots showed Lisa Wilson responding to a handful of disgruntled Jets fans on social media. In her supposed responses, she called the franchise’s fanbase “toxic” and “truly terrible,” even going as far as to say that her son had already made it “abundantly clear he doesn’t want to return next season.”
But on Christmas Eve, Lisa took to her own Instagram to dispel any lingering rumors about her latest social media responses.
“These are fake… Merry Christmas,” she wrote, per Newsday’s Jamie Stuart.
Though Wilson’s mom may not have been fighting his battles for him over Instagram, there does seem to be some momentum to this being the former No. 2 pick’s last season in the Big Apple. Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer reports that the Jets are expected to “move on” from the second-year quarterback this upcoming offseason.
“They’ve lost all confidence in Zach Wilson,” Glazer said Saturday morning. “Zach lost confidence in himself going into that last game, [and] came out with even less confidence. Expect the Jets to move on from him after this season.”
Wilson was benched in the second half of last Thursday’s loss to the Jaguars after going 9-for-18 for 92 yards and an interception. He was only given the chance to start again due to an injury to Mike White, who had already replaced Wilson earlier in the year.
Since the Jets selected him early in the 2021 draft, Wilson hasn’t been consistent on the field and has battled a series of minor injuries that have kept him out at times throughout his first two seasons. During that stretch, he’s thrown for over 4,000 yards with 15 touchdowns and 18 interceptions in 22 games.
Wilson’s relationship with the Jets fanbase has only grown rockier in his sophomore season, as many feel like the team could rank among the top AFC contenders with more consistent quarterback play. With White set to take back over the responsibilities behind center this week, New York still has a chance to play its way into the playoffs, beginning Sunday against the Seahawks.
