Getty New York Jets quarterback Mike White during the Week 12 victory over the Chicago Bears.
For the second time during the Zach Wilson era, everyone is talking about Mike White — and that goes for the entire NFL community.
The New York Jets won in a big way behind White in Week 12, routing the Chicago Bears by a score of 31-10, and many took the performance as an immediate end to the quarterback controversy. The offense was insanely efficient under White, after all, and much less productive with Wilson. That makes for an easy choice, right?
Today on November 28, head coach Robert Saleh threw a wrench in those plans, leaving things open-ended long-term. “When we feel like Zach is ready to roll, he’s gonna roll,” the Jets HC stated after noting that every start is an opportunity for White.
As you can see, this discussion is far from finished, and former three-time All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman was the latest to sound off on the hot topic that is White vs Wilson.
Richard Sherman Goes on Epic Mike White Rant
The Volume shared the clip from “The Richard Sherman” podcast, in which Sherman made a massive statement in favor of White. Before long, the video had over 48,000 views and 1,200 likes (and counting).
“Mike White is a FRANCHSE QUARTERBACK”
—@RSherman_25 has THOUGHTS about the brewing QB controversy in New York
“Imagine if he was the number two overall pick and he was playing like this,” Sherman began. “That’s what I hate about this league, I hate the pedigrees.”
The epic rant only got better from there: “I hate — oh, the scouts had this guy, he had all this talent, his ceiling is so high. Shut up! Either they can play or they can’t play. Potential is the most overused, overrated thing I’ve ever heard, and that’s all you hear with these quarterbacks. I’m a production guy. Mike White has production.”
“Well, Zach Wilson’s still going to come back,” Sherman mocked, “For what? When has he shown the kind of game that Mike White just played? And then you hear about how his teammates are talking about him, they talk about his work ethic, you hear about how happy they are for him, how much fun they’re having. That’s when you know you’ve got a special guy. If we just took everything away and swapped the stories of Zach Wilson and Mike White — [with] Mike White drafted [at] two and he’s playing this well and his teammates are saying this about him — you’d be like hey, they made the right pick, they got a franchise guy.”
“Since he’s a fifth-round pick, since he’s an unheralded guy, you’re not talking about [if] they found their franchise quarterback,” Sherman concluded, yelling emphatically: “He’s a franchise quarterback!”
Mike White Hype Train on Jet Fuel
“White Fever” spread like wildfire after the Cincinnati Bengals victory in 2021 but this week feels entirely different. Jets fans see a path to the playoffs with White, a place they have not been in over a decade.
To be fair, Wilson was 5-2 on the season before being benched and his run as quarterback got the franchise into this position in the first place. Of course, the defensive emergence did have a lot to do with their early-season success.
If White can lead this Jets roster to the postseason, why couldn’t he become a franchise quarterback? The theory is plausible, although the journeyman’s NFL track record has just as many highs and lows as Wilson’s brief professional career.
White threw eight interceptions in four appearances last year with only five passing touchdowns. His three TDs against the Bears evened that ratio out to eight and eight on his career, although two near-INTs by Chicago could have certainly impacted Sherman’s narrative (Eddie Jackson dropped an early interception and Garrett Wilson’s deep touchdown strike went through the hands of a defender).
The former fifth-rounder’s preseason wasn’t all that inspiring either, and a large contingent of fans actually called for August standout Chris Streveler to make the 53-man roster over White, who managed to save his third-string role with a bounce-back effort during the final preseason outing. It’s unclear if White’s roster spot was ever in any serious danger.
That’s probably why Saleh hasn’t committed to him as the full-time starter just yet. The Jets HC just saw this exact same story play out poorly in 2021 — ending in a Buffalo buzzsaw.
The only added wrinkle this time is White’s free agency status. Last season, he was a restricted FA while this year he’s unrestricted and open for business. The Jets could try to extend him before the offseason, but that will likely depend on his remaining starts.
White will get his next opportunity in Week 13 against the Minnesota Vikings. If he’s able to log another positive outing, he’ll be one step closer to that franchise QB status that Sherman is talking about. Are we having fun yet?