Former New York Jets quarterback Boomer Esiason had plenty of praise for Aaron Rodgers and Garrett Wilson
Not everyone wanted to see Aaron Rodgers play in the New York Jets final preseason game against the New York Giants. But the 39-year-old played – and he played well, finishing 5-for-8 with 47 yards and a touchdown over two offensive series.
The touchdown pass was to second-year wide receiver Garrett Wilson, who had a Giants defender draped all over him.
uh oh, we watched it again pic.twitter.com/D9AoaHupCg
— New York Jets (@nyjets) August 27, 2023
The Jets’ last preseason game led former Jets QB Boomer Esiason to heap praise on Rodgers, Wilson, and the rest of the team. With the 2022 Offensive Rookie of the Year working with a four-time NFL MVP, Esiason believes that Wilson will see a meteoric rise in stardom – leading to an incredible number of touchdown passes for Rodgers.
“[Rodgers] is going to make Garrett Wilson a superstar,” Boomer exclaimed. “You can see this kid can catch everything and is going to be amazing. If I put the number at 47.5 for touchdown passes for Rodgers, if he stays healthy and plays 17 games, it will be over that. It will be so much fun to watch, and it was good to see Aaron in an actual game.”
Boomer knows that the Jets have their work cut out for them. The team has one of the hardest schedules to start the season, with six of their first eight games coming against teams who made the playoffs in 2022.
“Because of the way this league is set up, it really comes down to whether or not the quarterback can stay upright for 17 games,” Boomer explained. “They have one of the hardest starting schedules, and a lot of good teams on there.”
Despite the difficulties, Boomer still believes that the Jets will have the firepower to be competitive this season. He also thinks the presence of Rodgers will only benefit the Jets – and that the team’s offensive line woes are being overblown by the media.
“The defensive line is going to be their strength, and the offensive line will be fine,” Boomer said. “The third preseason game where Mekhi Becton was mauling people, that was great to see. Him being the starter at right tackle is something Jets fans have been waiting for. I’m sure Aaron Rodgers has talked to him to try to get him motivated, and what he was going to bring was the big thing coming in.”
Whether or not Boomer’s predictions about the Jets come true remains to be seen. However, with Rodgers’ laid-back demeanor going into the season, there’s a sense of hope that the team will break their playoff drought in 2023.
