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On Monday, Zach Rosenblatt and Diana Russini of The Athletic reported that the New York Jets wanted Zach Wilson to start, again, in Week 14, but Wilson wasn’t interested.
“The New York Jets are prepared to make another switch at quarterback — but their top choice is reluctant to take on the job,” the report claimed. “The team is leaning toward turning back to Zach Wilson to start but he is hesitant to step back into the role, multiple team sources said Monday.”
On Tuesday, the other New York Jets quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, took issue with that report during an interview with Pat McAfee.
“When you use sources and, whether intentional or unintentional, try to assassinate someone’s character like that report does for Zach, I have a real hard time with that,” Rodgers told McAfee.
He added, “You’re basically saying that this kid is quitting on the team, doesn’t want to play, and is giving the middle finger to the organization.”
Rodgers would go on to express his disgust with the Jets organization as a whole for the story, which he says is a non-story, leaking to the press.
“I think it’s chicken s— at its core and I think it has no place in a winning organization,” said Rodgers.
After Aaron Rodgers made his comments, Diana Russini appeared on The Michael Kay Show and doubled down on her report about Zach Wilson.
“I think right now everyone’s trying their best to figure out was it a player, was it a coach, was it a trainer, was it somebody that works in security?” Russini said. “I can just tell you that it was multiple people that are very aware because the entire building has been aware of this for over a week now, that Zach Wilson has reluctance to wanting to go back in there. He’s expressed it openly to people.
Rodgers also claimed to McAfee that he did not try to convince Wilson to take the Jets starting QB job again. Russini claims that is simply not true.
“The Jets wanted Aaron Rodgers to talk to him, coach him up a little bit, about why you need to make the right decision here for the team, because they need him,” Russini told Kay.
“In their opinion, Zach Wilson is the best quarterback in that building at this moment and they want to put him back in there.”
Russini was adamant that what she reported was true.
“He [Rodgers] was told to speak with him last Wednesday,” she continued. “He spoke with him yesterday about changing his mind. I was actually told that it didn’t even work initially, that Zach said, ‘Thanks, but no thanks. This is what I’m gonna do moving forward.’
“Someone from Zach’s side of this did reach out, that if he was named the starting quarterback he is going to get out there and play. He’s now changed his mind on this and will be doing it.”
That is a whole lot of drama for a 4-8 team with almost no chance of making the playoffs. Then again, Aaron Rodgers in New York was always going to be a whole lot of drama so it’s not terribly surprising.