Jets Country

Jets' Zach Wilson Weighs in on Elijah Moore Situation: 'He Is Special to Our Team'

Zach Wilson spoke about Elijah Moore's frustration with the Jets this week, assuring that he and the wide receiver have spoken about Moore's unhappiness with his usage.

Max Goodman

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Elijah Moore requested a trade from the Jets on Thursday, feeling irritated by his lack of involvement with New York's offense this season.

His quarterback, Zach Wilson, spoke to reporters before news of Moore's trade request circulated on Thursday afternoon. The signal-caller said that he's been trying to encourage the wideout, making it clear to Moore that he is an integral component to this unit on offense, even if he hasn't been racking up receptions this year.

"We love him. I know how important he is to this team," Wilson told reporters. "We’re going to do everything we can. We’re winning games. We’re having a lot of fun. Really all we can do is keep learning and growing and letting him know that, yeah, I need him."

Moore wasn't targeted once in New York's upset win over the Packers this past Sunday. He has just four catches and 64 receiving yards in the three games since Wilson returned from his knee injury—New York won all three of those games.

The Jets haven't been relying on their pass game as much of late. Take last week's win at Lambeau Field. New York exploded for 179 rushing yards. Wilson had just 110 passing yards, completing only 10 passes.

"We just haven’t thrown much," Wilson added. "A lot of opportunity hasn’t gone around. It’s not a thing where I’m trying to avoid him or whatever it is because he’s a great player. I’m going through my progressions. I’m telling him, we’re talking, we’re talking about routes and how we can clean things up every week. It’s just being patient and trusting the process. I only had 10 completions last week, and we won the game. So, it’s awesome. I love him, so I hope he understands he is special to our team."

New York isn't considering a Moore trade as of now. The second-round pick from the 2021 NFL Draft still profiles as a key piece in this club's future, part of the same draft class that featured Wilson, offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker and more.  

Asked if he's talked to Moore about his frustration, Wilson said the two second-year players have discussed the situation. The quarterback revealed that he told Moore to trust him.

"I'm going to get you that ball," he said.

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Jets for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. He also covers the New York Yankees, publisher  of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Yankees site, Inside The Pinstripes. Before starting out with SI, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. While at school, Goodman gathered valuable experience as an anchor and reporter on NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. Goodman previously interned at MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman and connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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