Robert Saleh said that Zach Wilson unexpectedly walked into the head coach’s office Monday and passionately asked to be reinstated as the Jets starting quarterback.

Saleh still is mulling who will start Sunday against the Texans, but he no longer has to wonder if Wilson is checked out — or, worse, feeling spiteful — after three benchings in two seasons.

“The young man wants the ball,” Saleh said. “He wants to start. He believes he is the best quarterback in the room, the best quarterback for this team and the guy who gives us the best chance to win. I’ll tell you the same thing I told him: I appreciate that he wants to play. I’m just not there yet.”

The conversation initiated by Wilson happened hours after The Athletic reported that the Jets want to change quarterbacks again after starter Tim Boyle and backup Trevor Siemian struggled in Sunday’s loss, but that Wilson is reluctant to play.

The report later clarified that Wilson allegedly told teammates and coaches he was apprehensive due to perceived injury risk, and ultimately Aaron Rodgers stepped in to advise Wilson to reconsider.

“Let’s be clear: If he was reluctant to play, he wouldn’t be here,” Saleh said.

Much to the satisfaction of fans who wanted to see anyone but Wilson lead one of the NFL’s worst offenses, the Jets benched the former No. 2 pick in the draft after a 4-6 start in which he threw six touchdowns and seven interceptions and notched a 73.8 quarterback rating.

At the time, it felt like the end of the three-year marriage, but the struggles of Boyle (56.2 rating over two starts) and Siemian (55.3 in one game) have made it clear that crawling back to Wilson actually is the best of the unappealing options.

So, why drag the decision out a few more days?

“I want to make sure nobody is acting emotionally,” Saleh said. “I want to make sure we’re making the right decision for this organization moving forward and making sure the guy who is best ready to play is on the football field. … It’s who gives us the best chance to win — that simple.”

The one thing that seems most certain after a fifth straight loss pushed the Jets to the brink of elimination from playoff contention is that Rodgers, who left the door open that he could return as soon as Sunday if his leg responded well to back-to-back practices, isn’t expected back against the Texans.

“Don’t hold your breath,” Saleh said.

This latest wrinkle in the quarterback mess that began when Rodgers tore his Achilles on the first offensive possession of the season does not reflect well on Wilson’s commitment to teammates who are risking injury every game, Saleh’s management, the coaching staff’s practice evaluations or the organization’s functionality.

Saleh did not refute the report of Wilson’s reluctance, instead suggesting that he could have expressed the sentiment in conversations with others in the building and comparing it to NFL draft-bound quarterbacks sitting out college bowl games.

Teammates said Wilson has remained focused during his two weeks as a third-stringer running the scout team.

“He’s been very dialed in,” linebacker Quincy Williams said. “The biggest thing when you get one of those type demotions or job changes, you see those people get down or be late for meetings and stuff like that. He hasn’t been doing that at all.”

Wilson was benched, returned to starting and was benched again last season, so it would be understandable if he is tired of being jerked around.

Five more games of bad film in an offense with questions at play-caller, offensive line and receiver isn’t going to help Wilson’s future.

But the Jets showed renewed faith in Wilson by making him the backup to Rodgers entering the season and deflecting blame from his poor play despite the obvious.

And he is under a four-year, $35.1 million fully guaranteed contract.

“We had this story last year,” Saleh said. “I think it’s different. I think last year he truly lost confidence in himself. I think this year, as demonstrated by what I just witnessed [in my office] he knows damn well that he should be on the football field.”

But don’t Boyle and Siemian “want the ball” just as badly?

“I’m sure if I talked to them, they want it, too. That’s why I’m going through this process,” Saleh said. “At the end of the day, we have to score points. We have to find something to get the ball in the end zone.”

Saleh expects to name a quarterback Wednesday.

“The cool thing about Zach is he has been working really hard,” tight end Tyler Conklin said. “No matter what his future holds, I think he understands he wants to become the best quarterback he can become still.”