“It’s Not Real”: Aaron Rodgers, Garrett Wilson Have No Intent to Overblow their On-Field Spat

During a recent Jets practice session, there seemed to have been some discord between QB Aaron Rodgers and WR Garrett Wilson as clips of them exchanging heated words during practice started making the rounds. However, both athletes emphasized that these moments are not indicative of any real conflict or tension between them.

Speaking to the press conference, Wilson emphasized that the tension between the athletes that came up during practice is “not real,” and a product of the heat of the moment, dismissing any notions that their exchanges were anything more than typical competitiveness.

“I am an emotional, passionate guy, so when we’re losing, it might look a certain way, but in reality, all those conversations, all those things are helping me be better for Aaron.”

He further said that such interactions on the field only help them understand each other better, so they are more in tune, especially as they work to build chemistry in preparation for the upcoming season. Rodgers echoed this sentiment, reinforcing that their interactions are simply part of the process of developing a strong rapport as teammates.

Arguments part of “getting on the same page”

Rodgers has been spotted being particularly cranky during practices in the past few days, a behavior he called, “benign” during the presser. He has been particularly disappointed by sloppiness on the field, but it came to a head with Wilson, when the two were spotted multiple times in heated exchanges.

However, Rodgers downplayed the perceived discord as normal communication between a QB and his WR during practice as he explained,

“He’s got to get on my page, but I have to get on his page, too, because he’s got a whole book that I need to understand fully…So those are good conversations. They might appear to be much more heated than they are, but there’s usually a smile on our face afterwards.”

On Saturday and later on Tuesday, Rodgers and Wilson were observed engaged in intense discussions following plays that seemed to highlight miscommunications between them. Their gestures and body language suggested they were involved in a disagreement. In clips, it seemed Wilson was also disgruntled with Rodgers’ previous absence from the mandatory minicamp.