Mike White's medical clearance for contact has forced the Jets to revert back to Zach Wilson as quarterback.

 According to the head coach Robert Saleh's announcement on Friday, Zach Wilson will start for the New York Jets against the Detroit Lions on Sunday.

Mike White intended to play and had been practising, but he was unable to receive a game-contact medical clearance.

Saleh said, "He's taken all precaution he can because he wants to be there for his teammates. "This is one of those transactions where we have to look out for the athlete's best interests and defend the player against the player."

During a Week 14 loss to the Buffalo Bills, White suffered rib injuries. After taking multiple damaging blows, he quit the game but subsequently came back.

The announcement follows Wilson's substitution of White for the starting spot before the team's Week 12 contest against the Chicago Bears. Wilson was criticised by teammates for a subpar performance against the New England Patriots, which led to the decision.

Despite only completing 9 of his 22 passes for 77 yards in the 10-3 defeat, Wilson originally insisted that he did not feel the defence had been let down by him.

Saleh noted through ESPN that the young quarterback's benching was not a "nail in his coffin" but rather a necessary reset for the player, who had 13 touchdowns versus 16 interceptions in 20 games. He allegedly afterwards apologised to his teammates.

Saleh said on Wednesday that Wilson had made it back onto the game-day roster and had beaten out seasoned pro Joe Flacco for the job of backup quarterback.

Zach has been working hard, according to Saleh. "Over the past three weeks, he has taken a thoughtful approach. He has been holding himself responsible for how he wants to approach practise and how he has been doing there. working on all the many tasks we've been asking him to complete while going up against our defence, which I believe is a pretty excellent defence to go up against."

The Jets will have a chance on Sunday to evaluate how Wilson's recent practise efforts translate to game time.