Jets GM hopes Aaron Rodgers can help 2021 No. 2 pick Zach Wilson reach ceiling in NFL

Aaron Rodgers has already mentored Zach Wilson before they became New York Jets teammates this week.

Now, the Jets hope Rodgers’ mentorship will help Wilson’s game reach the next level.

One day after acquiring Rodgers in a trade with the Green Bay Packers, Jets general manager Joe Douglas said adding Rodgers could be inspiring for Wilson, the 2021  No. 2 pick, who has struggled during his first two NFL seasons.

“I feel like this is going to be a great thing for Zach,” Douglas said Tuesday during a pre-draft news conference.

“Zach’s ceiling is unlimited. No one works harder, no one loves ball more than Zach Wilson. And him having the opportunity to really shadow and be with a first-ballot, Hall of Fame quarterback every day, every hour he’s in the building, that’s a great opportunity and a great experience.”

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Wilson’s NFL career hasn’t blossomed like the Jets have hoped, prompting them to acquire Rodgers in a blockbuster trade on Monday. New York also used backups Joe Flacco and Mike White last season.

The Packers sent Rodgers, their No. 15 pick in the 2023 NFL draft and a fifth-round pick (No. 170) to New York in the deal. The Jets traded their first-round pick (No. 13), second-round pick (No. 42), sixth-round pick (No. 207) and a conditional 2024 second-round pick that becomes a first if Rodgers plays 65% of the plays this season, according to ESPN.

Rodgers is slated to be the Jets’ starting quarterback, while Wilson will find himself in a backup role during his third NFL season.

How Aaron Rodgers and Zach Wilson became friends

Rodgers and Wilson have fostered a friendship in recent years. They met before Wilson was drafted in 2021, and hit it off during a joint practice between the Jets and Packers later that year.

After Wilson helped the Jets beat Rodgers and the Packers last October, Wilson shared his reverence for Rodgers after the game.

“This guy has been my idol since I’ve been 8 years old. I remember watching football. He was the quarterback I copied everything. I tried to be just like him,” Wilson said  during his postgame press conference.

“He’s a great guy. He’s someone I’ve studied through the NFL and someone I try to be like. … I’d love to sit and chat with him all day and ask what he has for me and stuff.”

Aaron Rodgers says humility would be good for Zach Wilson

Rodgers even suggested to Wilson, who was at the Jets facility on a Friday night during the offseason this January, to “get out of the facility, clear your head and be a kid, go to dinner.”

“I think he’s super talented,” Rodgers said on an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" in January. “I think a little humility is good for all of us at various times in our careers.”

Rodgers also said he believes Wilson is “talented enough to have a long career in the league.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Aaron Rodgers can help No. 2 pick Zach Wilson improve, Jets GM says