New York Jets Bench Zach Wilson

Zach Wilson has officially been relegated to the pine.

The New York Jets are benching the 23-year-old -- the second overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft -- following a string of poor performances ... and a press conference that appeared to upset some of his defensive players.

ESPN's Adam Schefter just broke the news ... saying Jets head coach Robert Saleh informed his team of the decision during a meeting Wednesday morning.

Either Joe Flacco or Mike White is expected to be the new starter going forward.

Wilson had been playing awful in the last few weeks, and, to make matters worse for the QB, he appeared to ruffle some of his teammates' feathers when he said after the abysmal loss to the Patriots that he didn't feel like he had let his defense down.

Both star corner Sauce Gardner and defensive end John Franklin-Myers liked a tweet slamming Wilson for not taking accountability ... although the two said afterward they did it on accident.

Suuuuuure.

Despite the dysfunction under center, the 6-4 Jets remarkably still have a shot to make the playoffs this year.

The post-Wilson era -- at least for now -- starts Sunday ... when NY plays Chicago.