New York Jets

New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh told reporters Monday that quarterback Zach Wilson will miss two to four weeks after suffering a sprained PCL during Sunday's loss to the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium.

ESPN's Adam Schefter first reported the diagnosis and timeline.

The No. 2 overall pick has endured a difficult rookie season. Through six starts, he has thrown for 1,168 yards, four touchdowns and nine interceptions while completing 57.5 percent of his passes.

Wilson exited New York's 54-13 drubbing at the hands of the Patriots in the second quarter. After the game, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported the team was concerned a PCL injury would force him out of action. 

Mike White replaced the 22-year-old against New England, and he'll have to take over again during the first-year signal-caller's absence.

Thanks to their 1-5 record, the Jets can probably kiss the playoffs goodbye. Because of that, the identity of their starting quarterback may be irrelevant to wins and losses this year.

However, New York doesn't want to see Wilson's development stunted by an injury, especially when he has struggled.

New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson is believed to have suffered an injury to his PCL during Sunday's 54-13 loss to the New England Patriots and will likely miss time, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Wilson said after the game that a PCL injury would be the "the best-case scenario."

"I'm not really sure. I don't know a lot about the PCL," Wilson told reporters. "The pain really isn't there. It's just feeling like something is a little off as far as being loose and unstable."

Jets head coach Robert Saleh revealed after the game that Wilson will undergo an MRI.

"Initially, we feel good, but you never know," Saleh said.

Any injury to the 22-year-old is unsettling for the Jets. They made him their franchise quarterback when they selected him with the No. 2 overall pick of the 2021 NFL draft and are counting on him to help turn the team around.

The rookie had completed 57.3 percent of his passes coming into Sunday's game for 1,117 yards, four touchdowns and nine interceptions.

He dazzled in his final season at BYU in 2020, completing 73.5 percent of his passes for 3,692 yards, 33 touchdowns and three interceptions. He also showed off his running ability with 10 touchdowns on the ground and was appealing enough for New York to pick him even though Trey Lance, Justin Fields and Mac Jones were available.

The Jets inserted backup Mike White into Sunday's game, and he would be the presumed starter if Wilson is forced to miss additional time.

White entered the league as a fifth-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys in 2018 but entered the 2021 campaign having never attempted a regular-season pass.

New York Jets safety Marcus Maye made his stance clear Thursday: He wants to stay in the Big Apple.

With the NFL trade deadline less than two weeks away, Maye told reporters that he has not requested a trade and he's "100 percent in" with New York.

Maye, a 2017 second-round pick, is playing this season on a $10.6 million franchise tag. He had hoped to secure a long-term deal this offseason, but the two sides couldn't reach an agreement.

The 28-year-old Maye has been one of New York's most consistent defenders during his five-year career. He has 289 career tackles with six interceptions and ranked second on the team in 2020 with 88 tackles. 

Maye has missed the last two games with an ankle injury, but he was a full participant in Thursday's practice and is in line to return for Sunday's game against the New England Patriots.

The Jets are rebuilding, so signing Maye to a big-money deal might not be in their long-term plans. Jets general manager Joe Douglas has not been shy about trading key players to acquire future assets, most notably when he sent All-Pro safety Jamal Adams to the Seattle Seahawks for two first-round picks.

The NFL trade deadline is 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 2. Teams who need to improve their defensive backfield will likely contact the Jets to check on Maye's availability.

The Indianapolis Colts, who lost starting safety Justin Blackmon for the rest of the season due to a torn Achilles on Thursday, would be wise to inquire about what it would take to acquire Maye.

The New York Jets and veteran safety Marcus Maye might be parting ways in the coming weeks. 

Maye would reportedly "welcome a trade to a contender," according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, who notes the 28-year-old is a "prime player to watch" with the trade deadline approaching. 

"The Jets understand they are at least a year away and could save on Maye's $10.6 million salary," Fowler writes. "GM Joe Douglas doesn't prioritize safety like he does offensive and defensive line, and that showed in negotiations. Maye felt undervalued."

Fowler also mentions that it's unclear if Maye's February DUI arrest in South Florida, which was reported last week, would factor into his trade market. 

The former second-round pick was charged with DUI as well as misdemeanors of DUI/damage to property and leaving the scene of a crash. Six weeks later, he was stopped by police in Orlando, Florida for speeding and driving with a suspended license. 

Jets head coach Robert Saleh has since voiced support for Maye, saying, "We've all made mistakes and he recognizes the mistake that he made."

He added: "Marcus has been an outstanding teammate. He's been an outstanding individual. His teammates absolutely love him. From my understanding, he hasn't had many issues as a young man. This is something that he will get through."

Maye has spent the first five seasons of his career with the Jets. In three games this year, he has recorded one sack, 23 tackles, two tackles for a loss and a quarterback hit. 

Fowler notes the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Rams could potentially show interest in making a move for Maye. Despite signing Richard Sherman, the Bucs could still use depth in the secondary with injuries to Sean Murphy-Bunting, who is on injured reserve, and Antoine Winfield Jr. 

As for the Rams, they could use some depth behind Jordan Fuller, Taylor Rapp and Jalen Ramsey.  

New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson told reporters the team's slow starts are "crushing us" after Sunday's 27-20 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

"It's a block we have to get over," Wilson added. "We have to get out of that trend of starting bad. ... We can't keep trying to come from behind. The NFL is too hard to always come from behind."

The Jets trailed 17-0 early in the Week 5 game in London, falling behind 20-3 at halftime. A late charge cut the deficit to three before the team eventually suffered its fourth loss in five games this season.

The slow start was nothing new for the Jets, who haven't scored a single point in the first quarter this season.

The squad has been outscored 75-13 in the first half of games, per ESPN's Rich Cimini.

New York has been better in the second half, including in the Week 4 comeback against the Tennessee Titans. Wilson threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes in the overtime win after the squad trailed 9-7 at halftime.

The Jets also turned a 16-0 halftime deficit against the Carolina Panthers into a narrow loss in Week 1.

It provides something to build on for the struggling franchise, but there is still just one win to show for it.

"In the second half of every single game, we've looked real good," Wilson said Sunday. "We know what we're capable of and we're able to show it at the end. ... Starting three-and-out is no way to do it."

Defensive end John Franklin-Myers is staying with the New York Jets beyond the 2021 season.

DJ Bien-Aime of the New York Daily News reported the AFC East team signed Franklin-Myers to a contract extension Thursday. According to Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus, the deal is worth $55 million over four years and includes $30 million in guaranteed money.

The 25-year-old started his career as a fourth-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Rams in 2018, but he's played the last three seasons with the Jets and has appeared in each of their first four games of this season.

It appeared as if the Stephen F. Austin product was well on his way to a productive career on the Rams when he appeared in all 16 games during his rookie campaign and finished with two sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

He even had a sack and forced fumble during the Super Bowl loss to the New England Patriots.

However, the Rams elected to waive Franklin-Myers prior to the 2019 season with head coach Sean McVay explaining the decision to reporters:

It was very difficult, and I think it's more of a credit of not what John didn't do, but what some other players did do. Again, a lot of those decisions do go back to, 'What is the projected 46(-man roster) for guys that are actually going to be active? John is a guy that's done a lot of good things and then that was a very difficult decision for Les (Snead), for myself, and really, for our organization. We're very thankful for John and what he's done and (he) couldn't have handled it with more class and we're appreciative of that.

The Jets claimed him after the Rams moved on, although he missed the 2019 season with injuries.

Franklin-Myers appeared in 15 games last year and finished with 19 tackles, three sacks, two fumble recoveries and two passes defended and has 15 tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble through four games in a promising start to this season.

He will look to continue building on that start with a new contract.

New York Jets safety Marcus Maye was arrested and charged with driving under the influence in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Feb. 22, according to ESPN's Rich Cimini.

Erik Burkhardt, Maye's agent, provided a statement to Cimini: "It is an ongoing legal matter and our attorney has advised us we cannot comment. We are confident it will be positively resolved. We look forward to Marcus getting back on the field soon."

In addition to the DUI charge, the 28-year-old is facing two misdemeanors: DUI/damage to property and person and leaving the scene of a crash.

Per Cimini, Maye allegedly crashed a 2018 Mercedes into the rear of another vehicle while traveling on the Florida Turnpike. No injuries were reported. The driver of the other vehicle has, however, filed a civil lawsuit and is looking for "in excess" of $30,000.

In March, Maye signed his one-year franchise tender with the Jets that guaranteed him $10.6 million for this season. Through three appearances, he has 23 tackles, one sack and one pass breakup.

The fifth-year veteran suffered an ankle injury in New York's 26-0 Week 3 loss to the Denver Broncos. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported on Sept. 29 he was expected to miss three to four weeks.

Burkhardt referenced the report on Twitter and said his client "should be back fully healthy just before the trade deadline."

Maye's future had been the subject of speculation in the offseason as he and the Jets failed to hammer out a long-term extension. Based on Burkhardt's comment, the situation may not have evolved much.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy confirmed to Cimini the league is looking into the February arrest under its personal-conduct policy. Depending on the outcome of the NFL's inquiry, Maye could be facing a possible suspension.

Things are reportedly going from bad to worse for the 0-3 New York Jets.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, safety Marcus Maye will miss approximately three to four weeks with an ankle injury. Rapoport called the development "brutal" for the struggling Jets since Maye has been "the top performer on their defense."

Maye has 23 tackles, one pass defended and one sack. He's a versatile playmaker who can provide support against the run and drop back in coverage against the pass.

He had 88 tackles, 11 passes defended, two sacks, two forced fumbles, two interceptions and one fumble recovery last year while earning an impressive grade of 82.9 from Pro Football Focus.

This figured to be a critical season for the 28-year-old since he is playing under the franchise tag.

Fortunately for Maye and the Jets, this setback is not a season-ending one. Still, the AFC East team will have to look elsewhere in the secondary until he is ready to return.

Adrian Colbert should get more playing time in his first season with the Jets after splitting his first four years with the San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Miami Dolphins and New York Giants.

Next up for the Jets is a Week 4 showdown against the 2-1 Tennessee Titans, who lead the AFC South.

New York Jets rookie Zach Wilson owned up to a dreadful performance in Sunday's 25-6 loss to the New England Patriots.

The first-year quarterback finished 19-of-33 for 210 yards and four interceptions, which generated some boos from the home fans at MetLife Stadium.

"They should be booing," Wilson told reporters after the game.

He added he's "gotta do better."

As Jets fans continue to react to Wilson's outing in the immediate aftermath of the game, it probably won't help that Sam Darnold threw for 305 yards and two touchdowns as the Carolina Panthers took the New Orleans Saints down 26-7.

Wilson's counterpart Sunday has hit the ground running, too. Mac Jones went 22-of-30 for 186 yards in his second start with the Pats.

Of course, some will rightfully argue the contrast between the quarterbacks speaks more to the Jets' wider problems.

Still, Wilson is quickly learning how unforgiving the Big Apple can be. Jets fans in particular probably feel especially jaded after having watched so many young QBs fall short of expectations.

Darnold was gone after three years. Christian Hackenberg didn't take a single snap in the regular season after coming off the board in the second round. Geno Smith, another second-round pick, wasn't the answer. New York may have reached the AFC title game in 2009 and 2010 in spite of Mark Sanchez rather than because of him.

The Jets are also in the midst of a 10-year playoff drought.

Teams don't need as much time to rebuild in the NFL compared to the NBA or MLB, where franchises often have to endure multiple years of futility before seeing a turnaround. The Miami Dolphins decided to start over in 2019 and were a 10-win team by 2020.

Having said that, Wilson and the Jets will have to experience plenty of growing pains in 2021 as head coach Robert Saleh lays out his long-term vision.

The New York Jets lost more than the game during Sunday's 19-14 defeat to the Carolina Panthers.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, offensive tackle Mekhi Becton will be sidelined for four to eight weeks and will undergo knee surgery next Wednesday. Becton was helped off the field during the loss.

Mollie Walker of the New York Post noted the Jets are expected to shift starting right tackle George Fant to cover left tackle without Becton. Morgan Moses is expected to play right tackle after losing out on the starting battle to Fant heading into the year.

The offensive line was a problem for the Jets even before Becton's injury.

Rookie quarterback Zach Wilson was sacked six times and consistently chased out of the pocket in his first career start. It wasn't an ideal position for a player to be getting his first NFL experience, although he threw for 258 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

Whether New York can protect Wilson better as the season continues will likely go a long way toward determining whether he can compete for the Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

The Jets selected Becton with the No. 11 overall pick of the 2020 NFL draft, and he started 13 games during his rookie season.