One absurd narrative throughout the offseason was the back and forth nature of New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson and quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Heated discussions during practice were turned into “blow up” situations between the Jets players – despite all signs pointing to true competitive nature rather than displeasure in each other’s company. And as the Jets prepare to take on San Francisco on Monday, New York fans should be excited.
Speaking to DJ Siddiqi of RG.com, Wilson believes his chemistry with Rodgers – and Rodgers’ health – shouldn’t be a concern for Jets fans.
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“Our chemistry by the end of [training camp] was right where we wanted to be at. And we got to go up against other teams during joint practices – instead of our own defense, which is one of the best in the league – [that] is where you really get to see where you’re at and how you stack up,” started Wilson.
“It’s the closest thing you get to game day before the season. We really attack those days. We feel like our chemistry is where it needs to be at and we’re excited to go out there and show it on Monday.”
A big part of that chemistry was Rodgers being healthy and available to the team throughout this offseason (other than the minicamp absence that riled up legacy media journalists). And the Jets wide receiver noted that in his discussion.
“Having him back for training camp this year was awesome,” said Wilson. “I know we had a lot of energy – the whole team – especially having him back out there. We truly got better every day.”
As most Jets fans know, Rodgers suffered a season-ending Achilles injury after playing four snaps in Week 1 last season. And despite the concerns that the 40-year old quarterback has lost a step, Wilson says that the New York quarterback looks as good as ever.
“Oh yeah, man,” Wilson says when asked if Rodgers looks good coming off of the injury. “He looks like the Aaron I grew up watching, the Hall-of-Famer that we all know … Just the way he goes about his prep and his recovery throughout the week; when you play until the age of 40 and 20 years in the league, it doesn’t happen by accident. It doesn’t happen because you’re not being intentional.”
The Jets wide receiver credited the New York quarterback with teaching him about one important thing to extend his career – recovery.
“The main takeaways that I’ve had from him are just how important your recovery is, how important your prep is, knowing what your opponent is going to do,” says Wilson of Rodgers. “He’s such a cerebral guy. Anytime we get to have conversations, honestly, they’re all super enlightening to me. It’s hard to pinpoint just one, but he’s special. I’m trying to take it all in and just be a sponge every time I’m around him, even though it’s been going on two years.”
That mentorship has played a big role in Wilson’s mindset entering the 2024 season. And with the four-time NFL MVP in his ear, there’s a real chance Jets fans see a breakout season for Wilson this year.
“Everything that he says, I take something away from that. I’m blessed to be able to play with someone like this, especially towards the tail end of their career where they have a lot to give intel-wise.”
