Jets bench Wilson; White will get QB start against Chicago

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Zach Wilson has gone from being the future of the New York Jets franchise to an underachieving benchwarmer.

Coach Robert Saleh announced the decision Wednesday to sit

Wilson and replace him with Mike White as the starting quarterback Sunday against the Chicago Bears.

“Zach’s career here is not over,” Saleh said, adding that the plan is to have the second-year quarterback “reset” with the hope Wilson plays again this season. “This is not putting a nail in his coffin.”

Joe Flacco will serve as White’s backup, and Wilson will not be active against the Bears.

“We haven’t wavered in our belief that he’s going to be the future of this franchise,” Saleh said.

Saleh didn’t commit Monday to having Wilson under center this week after the second-year quarterback’s dismal performance in the Jets’ 10-3 loss to the Patriots in New England. The No. 2 pick in the draft last year was 9 of 22 for a measly 77 yards with several wayward throws. The Jets managed 2 total yards on seven possessions in the second half.

Saleh said he’ll evaluate the quarterback position on a day-to-day basis and added the entire offense must be better.

“His decision-making has been fine; his practice habits and all that stuff have been fine,” Saleh said of Wilson. “But there are some basic fundamental things that have gotten really out of whack for him. This is just an opportunity for him to sit back, focus on those things, find a way to reconnect with all the different things we fell in love with during the draft process.”