Zach Wilson
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Miami Dolphins quarterback Zach Wilson.
The success of Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold has changed how the NFL looks at quarterbacks who failed with 1 team (or multiple teams) before they became stars on another team.
Darnold showed he could be elite with the Minnesota Vikings on a 1-year contract in 2024, then took the roof off in 2025 with the Seahawks by leading them to a Super Bowl win in his 1st season as their starter.
That it was Darnold’s 5th NFL team made it all the more remarkable. It’s a path former No. 2 overall pick and former Broncos backup quarterback Zach Wilson hopes to emulate in the future at some point, although probably not with his newest team.
“Saints are signing former Dolphins QB Zach Wilson to a one-year deal,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on his official X account on Tuesday night.
The Saints already have an entrenched starter with 2025 2nd round pick Tyler Shough, although there’s a chance Wilson, who is on his 4th team in 4 years, could unseat Spencer Rattler as the backup.
“Saints are signing QB Zach Wilson, according to a source,” Saints reporter Nick Underhill wrote on his official X account. “Adds a veteran presence and some competition to the QB room behind Tyler Shough. Wilson, 26, was the No. 2 pick in 2021. He gives New Orleans a third quarterback with starting experience.”
Wilson spent 2024 as the 3rd string quarterback for the Broncos behind Bo Nix and Jarrett Stidham. He played for the Dolphins in 2025 on a 1-year, $6 million contract.
“Would imagine Sean Payton had great things to say about Zach Wilson to Mickey Loomis,” DNVR’s Zac Stevens wrote on his official X account. “Payton was a big fan of Wilson’s during their year together in Denver.”
Zach Wilson Resurrected Career in Denver
Headed into 2024 Wilson, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, was keeping his career on life support with the Broncos after they obtained Wilson and a 2024 seventh round pick from the New York Jets in exchange for a 2024 sixth round pick in April 2024.
One year later, Wilson was getting big money (for a backup) to come be the No. 2 behind Tua Tagovailoa in Miami.
Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski called Wilson the NFL’s most important backup quarterback headed into the 2025 season.
“Zach Wilson may be the most important backup in the NFL considering who he is backing up this season,” Sobleski wrote in August 2025. “Tua Tagovailoa’s injury history, specifically concussions, is well-documented. The Miami Dolphins‘ starting quarterback has played a full regular-season slate only once during his five-year career.”
Wilson Fell Flat In 3 Seasons As Jets Starter
Wilson has already been a starting NFL quarterback once, in 3 seasons with the New York Jets from 2021 to 2023 after he was selected out of BYU at No. 2 overall, and he signed a 4-year, $35.1 million rookie contract.
Wilson’s first bite at the starting apple didn’t go well — he went 12-21 and was benched 2 out of the 3 seasons before being traded to the Broncos. Of the 5 quarterbacks selected in the first round of the 2021 draft, only one, No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence, remains with the team that picked him.