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Most people skip cookies and cake when trying to lose weight. Zach Wilson passed on the candy to gain weight.
The Jets quarterback said his focus this offseason has been on both nutrition and strength training. He wanted to add weight and he did. Wilson weighs 221 pounds after finishing last season at 208. He said he knows he’ll lose some weight in training camp and hopes to play at 218 this season.
“I’m definitely feeling better,” Wilson said Tuesday after the Jets’ second organized team practice session. “The energy, the ability to have that stamina throughout the exercise is better in my opinion. I just think in the long run when we get into a game where we get hit and attacked, having a little more size with me will help.
Wilson said he met with the Jets’ nutritionist at the end of the season to formulate a strategy. Then he had someone put together a menu and hired a personal chef to prepare his food.
“I think it’s probably the first time in my life that I’ve taken a bigger approach to the nutrition side than just weightlifting,” Wilson said. “Of course you do your typical strength training and weightlifting and running every year. Normally you just try to eat healthy. But I actually had a written plan of how much to eat, when to eat, and tracked it all down to the macro. I had someone to help me with all that stuff. That was probably the biggest difference when it comes to gaining weight.”
Wilson looks noticeably taller, especially in his legs. Jets head coach Robert Saleh said there were striking differences in Wilson’s entry into his second season, both physically and in his confidence.
“He’s fat,” Saleh said. “He looks good. He looks confident. Shoulders are back, he’s not slumped. He’s smiling. He’s vocal. I’ve said it before, you can always see the level of trust and their understanding of what they’re being asked to do by the volume of her voice, and he’s getting pretty loud.”
Wilson said he’s more comfortable this spring, both with his control of offense and his ability to lead the team.
“I think that’s what it takes, especially from a quarterback: someone who can get everyone on the same page,” Wilson said. “I’ve never been the super vocal guy, the guy who gets up in front of the team, but sometimes that’s what you need. I think it will mean more when it comes.”
The Jets have not hid that the main focus this offseason will be building around Wilson. They added talent in the tight end, wide receiver, running back, and offensive line to help Wilson’s progression.
“Now I have to do my job of getting those playmakers the ball,” Wilson said.
The Jets went 4-13 in Wilson’s first season with the team, and the 2021 No. 2 overall has struggled a lot at times. He showed improvement late last season and needs to make a bigger leap in 2022 for the Jets to move from doormats to contenders.
The Jets have more talent on their roster than last year, but a lot depends on Wilson making it this season.
“We’re definitely getting better,” Wilson said. “I don’t think we can say that before Game 1 of course, but you can tell the improvement is there. We have the talent. we have the boys Now it’s like, can we put it all together and be able to put something together?”
Wilson spent some time this offseason visiting and working with teammates in Nashville, Miami and Phoenix. He said the plan is to bring the Jets’ skill players together in July, before training camp gets back to work.
However, his teammates shouldn’t expect dessert at team dinners.
“I have a pretty bad sweet tooth,” Wilson said of his dietary restrictions. “That was the challenge: the cookies and cakes and things like that.”
