It Sounds Like Aaron Rodgers Ghosted Zach Wilson After Getting Hurt

On Wednesday The Athletic published a very well-sourced piece on the New York Jets detailing all of the bad things that went on behind the scenes during their disastrous 2023 season. There was a lot of new information in there despite the organization leaking like a sinking ship as the year went down the tubes following Aaron Rodgers‘ injury.

Some of that new information pertained to Zach Wilson’s relationship with the superstar quarterback. Their mentor-mentee situation garnered a good amount of media attention over the summer. Rodgers said he wanted to support the embattled young QB and Wilson said all the right things about hoping to learn from one of the all-time greats even though he lost his job. From the outside it did seem like an ideal situation for Wilson– sitting for a year after being set up for failure by the Jets behind a great player he considers a friend.

The Athletic’s new piece revealed that all changed once Rodgers got hurt. Wilson apparently told teammates and coaches that he barely heard from the All-Pro quarterback throughout the season and it “soured” their relationship, something Saleh learned after asking Rodgers to speak with Wilson about playing again after being benched.

Saleh asked Rodgers to speak with Wilson, to convince the young quarterback to change his mind, according to team sources. That didn’t work either. Wilson’s feelings about his idol soured over the season.

As Rodgers was pushing the limits of torn Achilles rehab, determined to return in a little over three months — an unprecedented recovery time for that injury — Wilson, along with some Jets teammates and coaches, grew tired of the way Saleh fawned over Rodgers, according to team sources.

“I think he’s sacrificed so much already for the organization and himself and his teammates and he’s doing it again,” Saleh said on Nov. 30 as he discussed Rodgers’ attempted comeback. “I think it’s a testament to who he is as a human.”

Wilson told coaches and teammates he was under the impression he’d have a direct line to Rodgers, even after Rodgers tore his Achilles and flew home to California for surgery in the early stages of his rehab. Instead, Wilson barely heard from him.

A pretty typical Big Brother-Little Brother relationship. Blowing off your sibling because you’re too focused on your own stuff. In this case, the “stuff” was Rodgers trying to ignore all medical history by returning from a torn Achilles in mere months.

About typical for Rodgers. And if there wasn’t already enough motivation to try to ditch Wilson, his potentially frigid relationship with the starting quarterback is now added to the formula.