'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Earlier today, the New York Jets traded Zach Wilson and a 2024 seventh-round pick to the Denver Broncos in exchange for a 2024 sixth-round pick. This marked the end of the former second-overall pick's tenure in New York as he failed to live up to the expectations.
Wilson is not the only quarterback from the first round of the 2021 draft class who got traded as others like Justin Fields, Mac Jones, and Trey Lance are also on their new teams.
The 2021 draft class was projected to be one of the best quarterbacks class in the history of the NFL, which is why we saw five quarterbacks getting picked within the first fifteen picks. In comparison, only four quarterbacks were picked in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft in a class that featured five franchise quarterbacks in Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, Tua Tagovailoa, Jordan Love, and Jalen Hurts.
So why did the quarterbacks from the 2021 draft class fail so horribly with their first teams? Well, some blame is on the players themselves, but the franchises that they were on were also largely responsible for their unsuccessful tenure.
In this article, we go through the reasons behind the exits of Wilson, Fields, and Jones from the teams that invested a first-round pick on them just three years ago.
Jets failed to build a better offensive line around Zach Wilson
There is no denying that Zach Wilson disappointed everyone, and there was no other choice for the franchise but to trade him. However, the Jets never built a good offensive line for him to perform.
In Wilson's rookie year, the offense didn't have a single player who could help him out. Later the Jets got Garrett Wilson, but till then the BYU quarterback's confidence was shattered and things worsened when his teammates began to support Mike White instead of him.
With Aaron Rodgers arriving in 2023, it was expected that Wilson would learn under the four-time NFL MVP for a year or two, but unfortunately, Rodgers got hurt on the first drive of the season. That put all the pressure on the young quarterback, and having no time to throw the ball, he continued to struggle.
Many questions were asked about the offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett last season. After Rodgers' injury, the former Broncos head coach failed to build the game plan around Wilson's strength which ultimately cost the team.
Now the 24-year-old quarterback heads to Denver where he will get the opportunity to redeem his career under Sean Payton. Wilson finds himself in the best possible scenario, and Payton is the type of head coach who could bring the best out of him.
Bill Belichick hindered Mac Jones' development
Mac Jones had a pretty good rookie season with the Patriots and made the Pro Bowl. During that season, he threw for 3,801 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions in 17 games. Many thought Bill Belichick had found Tom Brady's successor, but after offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels left the Patriots to become the Raiders' head coach, everything went wrong for Jones.
Belichick brought in Joe Judge and Matt Patricia to run things on offense in 2022, and the former Alabama quarterback completely lost the way under them. Jones continued to regress under them, which continued into the next season when Bill O'Brien became the team's new offensive coordinator.
It can be said that if McDaniels stayed as the Patriots OC, or Belichick had brought in someone better than Patricia then Jones might still be on the Patriots, and the legendary head coach would not be without a job.
Now in Jacksonville, Mac Jones has the chance to redeem his career by being Trevor Lawrence's backup, another quarterback who was picked in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Panthers' incompetence resulted in Justin Fields' departure from Chicago
The Bears franchise and the fans in Chicago loved Justin Fields. If the Bears didn't have the first overall pick in this year's draft, which was part of the trade package that the Carolina Panthers sent them in 2022, the Ohio State product would be in Chicago right now.
So far, Fields has been the second-best quarterback from the 2021 NFL Draft, only behind Trevor Lawrence. In his second season in the NFL, Fields rushed for 1143 yards, eight touchdowns on 160 carries, and got an MVP vote as well.
After the Bears got D.J. Moore from the Panthers, Fields' passing game improved as well as he threw for 2,562 yards, 16 touchdowns, and nine interceptions in 13 games. His game has improved every single year, and now with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Fields has the opportunity to work with Russell Wilson and Mike Tomlin to cement his place in the league for years to come.
As mentioned earlier, if the Bears didn't have the first overall pick this year via the Panthers, Fields would still be in Chicago. Unfortunately for the 25-year-old quarterback, the opportunity to pass on drafting a player like Caleb Williams is too hard to pass on for the franchise.
The Bears now have a solid roster, and the things they were unable to provide Fields are now in place for Williams to flourish.
