FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Garrett Wilson and Aaron Rodgers were able to connect quite a few times during games with the New York Jets.
There were also plenty of lengthy conversations off the field during their two seasons together.
“Obviously, I got the opportunity to play with a living legend in this game,” Wilson said Thursday as the Jets prepare to face Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. “And for me, it was every day I got to learn something. I tried to go about it the right way and always
make sure I was being a sponge.
"It’s hard to put in words exactly what I took away from those experiences, sitting next to him and hearing the way he talks about ball. I learned a lot.”
But since Rodgers was released by the Jets during the offseason and the quarterback signed with the Steelers, he and Wilson haven't exactly been long-distance phone buddies.
“I ain’t talked to Aaron since he left,” Wilson acknowledged. “So, wish him the best this season. Yeah, but we ain’t chopped it up since he left.”
That normally wouldn't raise many eyebrows, especially since players tend to focus on their new teammates when they change squads. But the dynamic between Rodgers and Wilson was intriguing last year, their first full season playing together after the quarterback went down with a torn Achilles tendon four snaps into his Jets debut in 2023.
Rodgers often talked up Wilson, saying he could become one of the game's greatest receivers — comparing him at times to Davante Adams. And for a while last season, their on-field relationship appeared to thrive as Wilson had 41 catches on 67 targets in New York's first six games.
But the Jets traded for Adams before Week 7, reuniting him with his former Green Bay quarterback.
Adams had 67 catches for 854 yards and seven touchdowns on 114 targets in 11 games in New York. Meanwhile, Wilson had 60 receptions for 705 yards and four TDs on 87 targets during that span.
Wilson was visibly frustrated at times during the later part of the season, even though he set single-season highs with 101 catches, 1,104 yards receiving and seven TDs as the Jets struggled to a 5-12 finish.
“As far as the way things went, you know, that’s the game we play,” Wilson said. “When you put together a roster, a team, you’ve got to go out and play on Sundays. And when it came to Sundays, we didn’t play our best football. And that’s what that was.”
It cost both coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas their jobs. And new coach Aaron Glenn and GM Darren Mougey decided to move forward without Rodgers.
“We have another opportunity to make right on that starting on Sunday,” Wilson said. “And that’s the exciting thing for everyone in this locker room that was here these last two years. The expectation is still there.”
Wilson will get to do so with his former Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields, with the two reunited in the NFL after last playing together in college during the 2020 season.
“Honestly, when you come into the league, you don’t think you’re ever going to get to play with your college teammates again, let alone the guy throwing you the ball,” Wilson said. “For this to happen, it’s a blessing for me to have some familiarity and the level of conversations we can have. So it’s just exciting.”
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