Aaron Rodgers discusses his ‘personal guilt’ in Zach Wilson’s struggles, Jets benching
When the Jets added Aaron Rodgers this offseason in a trade with the Green Bay Packers, the plan was for former first-round pick Zach Wilson to sit and learn from the veteran over the next few years.
However, as things went, the future Hall of Famer suffered a potential season-ending Achilles injury four snaps into the team’s Week 1 matchup with the Bills, and Wilson was thrust back into the starting role.
In Rodgers’ absence, the offense has failed to get much of anything going as Wilson’s struggles from years past continued, and the Jets have found themselves on the outside looking in at the playoff picture.
The BYU product has completed just 59.2 percent of his passes for 1.944 yards, six touchdowns, and seven interceptions while being sacked 38 times behind a makeshift offensive line.
Wilson’s struggles finally reached the breaking point this week against the Bills, as head coach Robert Saleh decided to bench him in the second half and beyond in favor of Tim Boyle.
Discussing the move for the first time on the Pat McAfee Show Tuesday afternoon, Rodgers said he felt some “personal guilt” for the young gunslinger’s struggles.
“Obviously this is disappointing,” he said. “This was not the way any of us thought this would 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.
“I have some guilt around the whole thing. I’m pissed that I wasn’t able to play and frustrated that if I was out there and playing well, there would be different narratives around our team and Zach would have the opportunity to learn and grow and see what it looks like without the pressure on him.”
Even with Rodgers back on the sidelines, Wilson has taken some massive steps backward over the last few weeks, having scored just two offensive touchdowns in the team’s last 16 quarters of football.
The 22-year-old’s next step is a bit of a question mark at the moment having been demoted to the third-string QB spot behind Boyle and veteran Trevor Semien, signed to the active roster on Tuesday from the practice squad, for Friday night’s game against the Miami Dolphins.
Despite that, Rodgers still feels Wilson has what it takes to be successful in this league.
“We need a spark and this was the decision that was made,” he said. “We’re all going to support Tim and move forward, but we’re also going to put our arms around Zach because he’s a great kid and it’s not all his fault.
“I feel for Zach, I love him, I do think he still has a bright future in this league.”
