WFAN host Shaun Morash didn’t hold back while explaining his disappointment in Jets quarterback Zach Wilson for traveling to Utah with his girlfriend during the team’s bye week before a critical matchup with the Giants on Sunday.
Morash explained on the airwaves why he believes Wilson hasn’t earned the right for a bye-week vacation in his hometown and compared it to former Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo’s infamous Cabo vacation with then-girlfriend Jessica Simpson in 2008.
“Zach Wilson, in what is about to be the biggest stretch of his career, decided it was a good time to take his girlfriend to Utah to apple and pumpkin pick and go to haunted houses,” Morash said during Wednesday’s installment of “Evan & Tiki” on WFAN radio.
Wilson’s girlfriend, Nicolette Dellano, a New Jersey-based model, shared photos from the trip, which included fall festivities with his mother, Lisa Wilson, and their family.
Morash doubled down on his rant when former Giants running back Tiki Barber interjected to say that Wilson was going to see his family.
“He’s a professional athlete,” Morash said. “The family could fly to New York and New Jersey.
“I’m sorry, the Jets stink after their byes. Zach Wilson’s season last year derailed after a bye. I believe 52 guys could’ve gone and visited families.
“The quarterback, the leader needs to be at or around that facility all week last week and Zach Wilson has not done enough to get his ass on a plane with his girlfriend and go to Utah for a week.”
Morash also reminisced on Romo’s publicized vacation with Simpson during a bye week before a matchup with the Giants in 2008.
“How did that work out?” Morash asked, adding that “the focus needs to be in the film room, Evan [Roberts], the weight room [and] the study room.”
Romo and the Cowboys lost to the Giants in the playoffs in January 2008, following the quarterback’s getaway with Simpson — and it’s a story that past and present players still talk about.
“I think Utah is very different from Cabo,” Barber added.
“Zach Wilson is about to play the most important football games of his career and rather than stay back and grind in NJ he took his gf back home to Utah to go apple picking,” Morash wrote in a post on X, which included a clip of his rant. “Disgrace.”
The Jets have been in this position before.
Last year, they upset the Bills, and entered their bye week to improve to 6-3 and in strong position to make the playoffs.
That was short-lived when the Jets went 1-7 down the stretch, and Wilson was benched for backup quarterback, Mike White, who’s now with the Dolphins.
Robert Saleh, who is in his third season as the Jets’ head coach, said he tweaked the team’s schedule in order to be ready for the post-bye week matchup after he felt as though they took their foot off the gas a season ago.
Wilson has shown growth at the quarterback position in five starts this season after taking over for Aaron Rodgers, who suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in the season opener against the Bills on Sept. 11.
Across six games, Wilson has thrown for 1,097 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions.
The Jets entered their bye week with a last-second victory over the Philadelphia Eagles and are hoping to keep that momentum going.
Wilson threw for 186 yards in the Jets’ 20-14 victory against Philadelphia.
The Giants are entering the Week 8 matchup fresh off a win against the Washington Commanders, led by backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor.
Daniel Jones was out after suffering a neck injury in a Week 5 loss against the Miami Dolphins, and he has yet to be cleared for contact as of Thursday afternoon.
The Giants are the home team against the Jets at MetLife Stadium on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.