The NFL teams are a brotherhood. No matter what team you take, its members are almost always tightly knit. Sometimes, this also extends to players in different teams. One such case seems to be the relationship between veteran Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, and the Jets’ 2nd-year signal caller Zach Wilson.
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Talking on ‘The Pat McAfee Show’, NFL insider Ian Rapoport recollects a story that highlights the relationship between these two. Apparently, while on a call over the summer, Rodgers casually asked where Wilson was. When the Packers’ maestro realized Wilson was in the Jets’ facility at 6 pm on a Friday in the offseason, Rodgers said, “Get out of there. You’re going to lose your mind.”
When Pat McAfee asked Rapoport where he had heard this story, Rapoport could only say “sources”. However, NBC’s Albert Breer soon confirmed Rapoport’s story on Twitter, wherein he brought attention to his article from late June last year. Although some details differ between both accounts of the incident, the underlying story is the same: Rodgers probably has a special place for Wilson in his heart.
Zach Wilson struggles with a massive amount of plays in his rookie season
Zach Wilson struggled massively last season and has time and again had a case of the yips. Although, (not so) new information about the rookie’s work ethic reveals some startling news. Apparently, his struggles are not because he’s not trying hard enough. In fact, it is because he’s trying way too hard, something that is confirmed by the Aaron Rodgers story.
So, as part of helping Wilson get his feet under him, offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur and QB coach Rob Calabrese tried to sort the playbook out. Removing all the plays that yielded no returns, and categorizing those remaining plays into similar sets seems to be their chosen method. However, as this year’s stats show, it didn’t help much, other than give us a glimpse of what Wilson is capable of.
LaFleur’s attempts failed, and it ended with him leaving the Jets. As the New York outfit looks to fix its problems in the off-season, many wonder if they’d be able to leverage Wilson’s friendship with Rodgers and bring the veteran to New York. A few years as Rodgers’ backup will definitely help Wilson hone his skills as a signal caller. Maybe a steady hand from a friend is all he needs to learn the ways of his role.
