NFL All-Pro quarterback Aaron Rodgers had some words of advice for one of the league’s younger quarterbacks, Zach Wilson, who endured a forgettable sophomore year during the 2022 season.
Rodgers joined “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday, and when he was asked about his relationship with Wilson, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, the veteran Green Bay Packers signal caller opened up about what he sees in the former BYU quarterback.
“I think he’s super talented,” Rodgers said of Wilson, in a segment shared on Twitter. “I think a little humility is good for all of us, at various times in our careers. I think the first year, they literally had no players. They came and practiced against us and I was like, ‘The defense can play, but the offense needs some more players.’”
Rodgers said he first met Wilson before the 2021 draft, then again during the preseason during Wilson’s rookie campaign when the Packers and Jets held joint practices.
The four-time NFL MVP Rodgers complimented the Jets for bringing in some playmaking talent this past offseason, including running back Breece Hall and wide receiver Chris Olave, both rookies, along with tight end C.J. Uzomah, to give the franchise some weapons to build an offense around whoever ends up being the solution at quarterback.
That worked for the Jets in the early part of the 2022 season, as the team marched out to a 7-4 record through the end of November. New York lost its final six games, though, as the Jets went through a QB carousel of Wilson, Mike White, Joe Flacco and even practice squad quarterback Chris Streveler.
Rodgers, who sat for the first three seasons of his career under Brett Favre while waiting for his chance to play, reiterated that Wilson needs to show humility as he tries to bounce back from these early trials in his pro career.
“For him, it’s just gonna be humility — lean into that — and just consistently working on the fundamentals,” Rodgers said. “I think he’s so talented, but the best in the business can make all the plays outside the pocket, can move around fundamentally inside the pocket.”
After an up-and-down rookie season, Wilson regressed during the 2022 season. After missing the first three games of the regular season, he was benched twice after struggling and being criticized for a lack of accountability stemming from a comment he made after a loss to the New England Patriots.
Wilson completed 54.5% of his passes this season for 1,688 yards, six touchdowns and seven interceptions, with a 72.8 QB rating.
Two weeks ago, Jets owner Woody Johnson emphasized that he would “absolutely” spend the money if coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas desired to bring in a veteran quarterback to compete for the starting quarterback job, adding, “That’s kind of the missing piece.”
When Wilson was asked about the possibility of bringing in a veteran quarterback this offseason, he expressed confidence he would embrace the competition.
“I’m going to make that dude’s life (obscenity) in practice every day,” he told reporters in his end-of-season media session. “I’m going to go out there and do my best to show the coaches I deserve to be there. It’s not in a negative way, it’s a positive way. It’s making everybody better hopefully and you just attack every single day.”
While there has been speculation that the Jets could trade Wilson, giving up on the signal caller expected to be their franchise quarterback, Saleh said they are committed to his development and rebuilding his confidence.
There is already one change in New York: Former offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur and the Jets have agreed to part ways. LaFleur was Wilson’s coordinator his first two seasons.
“I hope that whoever they decide to go with at (offensive) coordinator can come in and work with him and kind of break down a lot of the fundamentals for him and get him playing on time because I think he’s talented enough to have a long career in the league,” Rodgers said.