With Zach Wilson Injured, Jets Bring Back Joe Flacco in Trade With Eagles

With Zach Wilson out for at least two games due to injury, the New York Jets secured quarterback insurance on Monday afternoon.

The Jets re-acquired Joe Flacco in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles, ESPN reports.

Wilson, who was injured on a legal hit from Patriots linebacker Matthew Judon, will miss 2-4 weeks with a sprained PCL sustained in the second quarter of Sunday’s 41-point loss to the New England Patriots.

The trade cost the Jets a 2022 sixth-round conditional pick, which can improve to a fifth-round pick based on playing time for Flacco, who spent the 2020 season as the Jets' backup under the previous coaching staff, ESPN reports.

NFL insider Albert Breer reports the sixth-rounder going to the Eagles in the trade could become a fifth-rounder if Flacco plays more than 50% of the snaps in four games.

When Wilson went down in the second quarter of Sunday's loss, QB Mike White stepped in and is set to start Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.

CBS Sports reports White has been in the Jets organization for three seasons, spending the last two years on the practice squad and was activated to the game-day roster three times in 2020 — the only times he was on the active roster prior to earning the backup quarterback job this season.

But the 36-year-old Flacco, a former Super Bowl MVP with the Baltimore Ravens, provides insurance if White gets hurt or struggles.

While White may not have starting experience and made his NFL debut on Sunday, the former Dallas Cowboys 2018 fifth-round pick completed 20-of-32 passes for 202 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions.

Jets head coach Robert Saleh said there's a possibility Wilson could play Nov. 14 against the Buffalo Bills.

Hours before the trade was finalized, ESPN reports that Saleh spoke about his confidence in White.

"He's a very calm man," Saleh said. "He's a great communicator, he's got great command of the huddle. He's got great command of the offense. He understands progression reads and how to go through a progression, get the ball where it needs to go. He understands how to slide in the pocket to throw instead of slide in the pocket to run. He doesn't panic."

Flacco signed a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Eagles but didn't see any game action. Philadelphia also has former Jacksonville Jaguars starter Gardner Minshew behind Jalen Hurts.

"Joe is just a great person to be around, a great pro to be around, had a phenomenal preseason and was really good for our (QB) room," Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said, per ESPN. "But the opportunity arose for him to go and be able to contribute somewhere else and also for us to get a pick for that. But our time with Joe Flacco was really good."

Flacco served as Sam Darnold's primary backup last season, starting four games — and losing all four for the Jets — when Darnold went down with a shoulder injury. ESPN reports his best game was a 262-yard, three-touchdown performance in a prime-time defeat against the New England Patriots.

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