How Aaron Rodgers Feels About Having Zach Wilson As Jets Backup

Zach Wilson started the majority of games at quarterback for the Jets in each of the last two seasons.

Barring injury to New York’s newest player, that will not be the case in the upcoming campaign.

Wilson is slated to spend the 2023 season serving as the backup to Aaron Rodgers, who joined the Jets via trade with the Green Bay Packers earlier this week. New York’s motivation to trade for the four-time NFL MVP, of course, was heightened by the struggles of Wilson, the second overall pick in the 2021 draft.

At his introductory Jets press conference Wednesday, Rodgers spoke about his new understudy.

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“I feel like part of my role here is to help him get his confidence back,” Rodgers told reporters, per the New York Post. “The team believes in him. That’s one question I asked: ‘How do you feel about Zach?’ Because I care about his feelings and I care about how he’s viewed. They really believe in him. They think he can be special — and so do I.”

Rodgers added: “The last couple years he hits me up from time to time during the season. Obviously we’ve spent time together. I love him, I really do.”

New York head coach Robert Saleh noted team brass has had “great conversations” with Wilson about the addition of Rodgers and the 23-year-old is “excited” about the opportunity to learn from one of the best quarterbacks of all time. In a perfect world for the Jets, Rodgers can help Wilson reach his lofty potential and ultimately hand the keys over to the BYU product once he’s ready to retire.

Time will tell when the Jets might hit those crossroads, as Rodgers’ future beyond the 2023 season is uncertain.