Free agent quarterback Zach Wilson reached agreement with the Miami Dolphins on a one-year, $6 million, fully guaranteed deal that could grow to $10 million, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Monday.
The move brings Wilson, drafted No. 2 by the New York Jets in 2021, back to the AFC East and gives the Dolphins a veteran backup behind starter Tua Tagovailoa.
Wilson spent last season with the Denver Broncos, who traded a sixth-round pick to the Jets for Wilson and a seventh-rounder last April. The Broncos believed he could bounce back from his struggles in New York.
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Wilson, 25, was in a three-way competition for the starting job with rookie Bo Nix and Jarrett Stidham throughout Denver’s offseason program and early in training camp. Coach Sean Payton then pared it down to a two-man competition between Nix and Stidham a week into camp.
In Denver’s preseason finale, Wilson threw for 251 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for a score, a performance that showed the Broncos that he’d be unlikely to clear waivers if they wanted to add him to their practice squad. So, Wilson remained on the roster as the third quarterback for the season.
Wilson’s pregame workouts with quarterback coach Davis Webb, when he consistently flashed the arm strength that made him a first-round draft pick, became a must watch. Advance scouts from other teams could be seen keeping an eye on Wilson’s work before games late in the season.
Wilson did not play a snap in 2024, but Payton consistently lauded his work with the hope “you put a guy in position to make a lot of money.” Wilson was also credited, by both Payton and Webb, as being a key component to Nix’s development as a rookie. Nix called Wilson a reliable voice and sounding board given his 33 NFL starts, including 13 as a rookie with the Jets.
But his tenure in New York was tumultuous. Wilson had a 12-21 record as a starter, had more interceptions (25) than touchdown passes (23) and completed only 57% of his passes, finishing 35th out of 36 qualified passers in QBR (33.6) over his three years. He saw his leadership questioned at times, and after the 2023 season, the Jets granted him permission to speak to other teams about a potential trade, leading to the deal with Denver just ahead of last April’s NFL draft.
In other deals, the Dolphins are signing former Steelers guard James Daniels to a three-year, $24 million contract, a source told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. He started 36 games in his first two years in Pittsburgh and then the first four of 2024 before he suffered a season-ending Achilles injury against the Indianapolis Colts.
Also, the Dolphins added more depth to their line by signing former Chicago Bears offensive lineman Larry Borom, a source told ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi, confirming a report by NFL Network.
ESPN’s Jeff Legwold and Brooke Pryor contributed to this report.
