New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers has criticized what he calls the “character assassination” of his teammate, Zach Wilson, in the media following reports that the former No. 2 overall pick was reluctant to retake the starting position after being benched earlier in the season.
According to a report from The Athletic citing multiple team officials, the Jets announced that Wilson will be the team’s starting quarterback for their Week 14 game against the Houston Texans after trying out the position with Tim Boyle and Trevor Siemian. Wilson, a third-year signal-caller, was reluctant to do so because he “felt the risk of injury.”
Rodgers, who tore his Achilles tendon after just four snaps at New Jersey, said he believes the report is “fundamentally crap,” adding that he “loves” Wilson.
“First of all, you can go down a whole rabbit hole with real sources and fabricated sources. Why would anyone want to be a source?” Rogers said.
He spoke on “The Pat McAfee Show,” which he appears on weekly on Tuesdays. “What’s it about them?
“As always, use a source to assassinate someone’s character, whether intentionally or unintentionally, as this report is doing about Zack. I have a real hard time with that.”
The 40-year-old continued.: “How else can you read this?” They’re essentially saying this kid quit the team, doesn’t want to play, and is giving the organization the middle finger.
“I don’t want to speak for him.
He has a chance to speak this week, so I’ll let him speak…. (But) he’s been through a lot of bad things in the last three years. So you have every right to be frustrated and disappointed about that.”
CNN has reached out to Wilson for the right to respond to this report.
Wilson has not publicly responded to The Athletic’s report, and he is scheduled to speak to the media on Thursday.
Earlier this week, Jets head coach Robert Saleh was noncommittal when asked who would start at quarterback in Sunday’s Week 14 game against the Houston Texans, but Wilson denied reports that he was hesitant to regain his starting position.
“Let me be clear: If (Wilson) didn’t want to play, he wouldn’t be here,” Saleh said Monday. “Coincidentally, I just finished talking to him. He came in about half an hour ago and we had a really nice conversation.”
“The young guy wants the ball.
He wants to get a start. “He believes he’s the best quarterback on this team, the best quarterback for this team, the guy who’s going to give us a chance to win,” Saleh added.
“We live in a society right now where kids are missing bowl games because they’re worried about their draft status, right?” Saleh said. “He’s very sensitive, so even if that discussion happened somewhere, and again, it wasn’t with me, if that conversation happened and was somehow leaked to the media, it shows how he thinks. I don’t think he’s there. That kid wants to play.”
The Athletic Story, citing anonymous sources, reported that Wilson is reluctant to return as the Jets’ starter.
Rodgers, his four-time NFL MVP, expressed displeasure with the culture of anonymous leaks within the Jets organization.
“We have to find out where this problem is coming from and end it privately, because in a culture of success there is no place for it.
Rodgers added: “Some of the conversations were targeted only to certain people and should not have left the building.
“There’s a trust that goes along with being in the locker room, where you say something to your homie and that sh*t doesn’t go anywhere. Or you say something in the team meeting room [and it] doesn’t go anywhere. There’s been too many instances this season where stuff is happening. It’s not OK, and we need to weed it out in whatever way necessary.”
CNN has offered the Jets a right of reply regarding Rodgers’ comments about anonymous leaks from within the organization.
Seeking their first postseason berth since 2010, the Jets – who waived Boyle on Tuesday and signed Brett Rypien from the Seattle Seahawks’ practice squad – were given a glimmer of hope last week when Rodgers was cleared to practice, despite the initial expectation that he would be out for the remainder of the season.
However, it is still unclear when he will be able to play, if at all, this season.
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