Jets coach Robert Saleh said he has “all the faith in the world” in veteran quarterback Joe Flacco, who may need to step in after starter Zach Wilson’s leg injury.
“Joe’s a pro. He’s been there, he’s done that. He’s been a Super Bowl MVP, a world champion. He’s gotten the big contracts,” Saleh told Jets.com. “He checks about all the boxes you can check.”
Wilson, the team’s 2nd-year signal caller, suffered a torn meniscus and bone bruise to his right leg during the 1st quarter of the team’s opening preseason, and will undergo surgery on Tuesday.
That will give Gang Green a better sense of how long Wilson will be sidelined, and there remains a possibility that he could return in time for their Week 1 game on Sept. 11.
If he misses the contest, veteran backup Flacco would be named the starter — which does not worry Saleh, he said.
“I think he’s going to be fine, especially for the remainder of the preseason. We’ll see everything else with Zach’s knee, but we have all the faith in the world in Joe,” the coach said.
For more coverage of Joe Flacco and the Jets, head to amNY.com.
For his part, the veteran passer said he was happy to mentor Wilson, but would be ready if he needed to step in.
“I’m happy with my role. I love being here, being completely focused on whatever I’m doing right now,” Flacco said. “I’m happy with what I’m doing, helping out a young guy. I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t have the desire to be good at what I do and didn’t believe I could play this game.”
If Flacco were to play, he would be pitted against his former team, the Baltimore Ravens, where he spent the first 11 years of his career.
As a member of the Ravens, Flacco took the team to the playoffs 6 times, and won the Super Bowl against the San Francisco 49ers in 2013.
The Ravens eventually traded Flacco to the Denver Broncos in the 2019 offseason, where he spent 1 season, before signing with the Jets in 2020.
The 37-year-old re-signed with the Jets on a 1-year deal worth $3.5 million this offseason, ostensibly to backup Wilson.
“I don’t view myself as an old person,” said Flacco after Sunday’s training camp practice. “But every now and then, when these guys come up and say something to you — ‘OK, you think I’m 50 years old. I got it.'”
In his career, Flacco boasts a 61.7% completion rate, and has tossed 227 touchdowns to 144 interceptions.
