Last season, the Jets had future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers at the helm. Despite high expectations, the Rodgers-Jets pairing didn’t work out well for either party.
The team underperformed greatly, and it left a sour taste in everyone’s mouths, including the players. Now, new details have emerged revealing how the relationship between Rodgers and star Jets WR Garrett Wilson went south.
Aaron Rodgers reportedly took shots at Garrett Wilson privately
Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic revealed some new details on how things fell apart between Rodgers, Wilson, and the Jets.
“By the end of last season, Wilson and Rodgers weren’t exactly the best of friends,” Rosenblatt reported. “A relationship that started with promise ended with each taking subtle shots at each other in press conferences.”
Rodgers and Wilson’s connection towards the beginning of the season was strong, and there was praise from both parties towards one another.
Many fans were excited about this, as they could finally see a quality quarterback play with Wilson. However, this didn’t pan out well. The team was underperforming, and then they traded for star receiver Davante Adams, who stole the lion’s share of targets from Wilson down the stretch of the season.
Since this moment, the connection between Rodgers and Wilson seemingly started to vanish. They were never on the same wavelength and couldn’t get their connection going. This had been a big detriment for the season.
Jets’ weapons weren’t pleased with the quarterback either
Among the problems that occurred after the Jets traded for Adams was the target distribution. Adams was fed the ball while Wilson’s targets diminished.
“Privately, Rodgers complained about Wilson’s tendency to freelance on routes, and there was frustration from Wilson — and others — about how Rodgers was funneling targets to Davante Adams, shying away from running the ball and ignoring Wilson in the red zone,” Rosenblatt reports.
Adams became the Jets’ No. 1 receiver in the eyes of Rodgers, instead of their young and blooming star in Wilson.
This led to problems being evident on the field, and Jets fans calling for change. Thankfully, this ended up happening this offseason.
The Jets now do not have to deal with Rodgers and the publicity he carries around with him. They also do not have another receiver who will be taking away reps from the younger players looking to develop.
The Jets have adjusted for the better.
