Aaron Rodgers has had high praise for Zach Wilson since Rodgers was traded to the New York Jets, and the former MVP says he feels a level of responsibility for how things have gone for his teammate this season.
Wilson lost his starting job this week in the wake of another poor performance, this time in a 32-6 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. Rodgers spoke about the situation during his weekly appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” Tuesday. The 39-year-old said he feels some “personal guilt” over the way Wilson’s year has gone.
“This was obviously not the way any of us thought this was gonna go down,” Rodgers said. “It was gonna be me and my show and Zach getting to learn and watch it first-hand and not have the pressure to go out there and play.
“So, obviously, this is disappointing and I have some personal guilt around the whole thing. I’m pissed I wasn’t able to play and frustrated. If I was out there I feel like I’d be playing well and there would obviously 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 and being able to sit through those meetings and go through the season and just kind of watch me and my process.”
Rodgers added that there is “enough blame to go around” for the Jets and that he feels badly Wilson had to become the “scapegoat” for the team’s struggles. You can hear more of the comments below:
"I love Zach Wilson and he's a great kid..
I have some personal guilt around the whole thing and I'm frustrated that I haven't been able to play..
Zach would've had the opportunity to learn and grow without the pressure on him this season" ~ @AaronRodgers12 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/GxRQtIDwfp
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) November 21, 2023
There is no debating that Wilson has played poorly. The former BYU star has just 1,944 yards, 6 touchdowns and 7 interceptions in 10 games. That said, Rodgers is probably right that Wilson would have benefitted from a year of learning behind one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. The 24-year-old barely had a chance to do that.
Rodgers seemed to immediately embrace the mentor role with Wilson over the summer, even throwing a zinger or two at the young quarterback. You can understand why Rodgers is disappointed that Wilson’s season ended with being benched rather than the way the Jets envisioned it going.
