New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers feels a bit responsible for the struggles of teammate Zach Wilson this season.
Of course, Rodgers was supposed to be the starting signal-caller for the Jets for all of 2023, but the future Hall-of-Famer tore his Achilles on New York’s first offensive series of Week 1, pressing Wilson into duty.
The results have not been good for Wilson, who was benched in favor of Tim Boyle during the Jets’ Week 11 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
During his weekly appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday, Rodgers explained why he feels guilty about the situation.
“This was obviously not the way any of us thought this was gonna go down. It was going to be me, and my show and Zach getting to learn and watch it firsthand and not have the pressure to go out there and play,” Rodgers said. “Obviously, this is disappointing. I have some personal guilt around the whole thing. I mean I’m pissed I wasn’t able to play and frustrated that if I was out there I feel like I’d be playing well and obviously there would be different narratives around our team. Zach would again have the opportunity to learn and grow and see what it looks like without the pressure on him. He’d be able to sit in those meetings and go through the season and just kind of watch me in my process. So, I’m disappointed and sad about that.”
The Jets landed Aaron Rodgers in a blockbuster offseason trade with the Green Bay Packers and were supposed to be Super Bowl contenders as a result. Instead, New York is just 4-6 and is seeing its playoff hopes fade after losing three straight games.
Most recently, Wilson went just 7-of-15 with 81 yards, a touchdown and an interception before being benched this past Sunday.
On the season overall, Zach Wilson has thrown for 1,944 yards, six touchdowns and seven picks while completing 59.2 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 73.8.
The 24-year-old is in his third NFL season after being selected by the Jets with the second overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft. He is 11-20 in 31 career starts.
New York will take on the Miami Dolphins this Friday.
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