Zach Wilson Has Opportunity to Defeat His Idol in Green Bay on Sunday
When the Jets and Packers had a joint practice last summer, Zach Wilson had an opportunity to meet his idol, picking Aaron Rodgers' brain during workouts.
At that point, Wilson had yet to throw a pass in the NFL. The No. 2 overall pick jokingly admitted after the practice that he was like a "fanboy" talking to a quarterback he's looked up to since he devoted his life to football more than a decade ago.
On Sunday, 14 months later, Wilson has a chance to play against Rodgers in a regular season game for the first time. With a win, the second-year quarterback would give his club their third victory in a row as New York looks to continue their hot start to the 2022 season.
Thinking ahead to what it will be like facing a player he looked up growing up, Wilson called it "cool," comparing the experience to when the Jets faced Tom Brady and the Buccaneers at the end of the 2021 season.
"As long as I can remember playing football, I was a big fan," Wilson told reporters on Thursday. "We didn’t have an NFL team in Utah, so I wouldn’t say I was a Packers fan, but I was just an Aaron Rodgers fan. I grew up watching him. I always liked to watch their games because of him and where he was at. He was the quarterback I tried to replicate and steal things from. I like the way he plays the game."
That adoration and fandom eventually turned into a productive study habit.
"Since I got into college, I’ve been watching film of him every year, trying to keep up with the way that he plays the game, how he simplifies it, how he just takes completions, takes what the defense gives him, all those different things," Wilson explained.
Comparing Wilson to Rodgers feels wrong, since Wilson has only played 15 games in the NFL, but they do have similar skillsets. Both quarterbacks have elite arm talent and while Wilson is still finding himself at this level, he's demonstrated an ability to make plays down the field, fitting darts into tight windows while changing arm angles and moving around the pocket to extend plays.
Asked what Wilson would take from Rodgers' game, the quarterback unabashedly said, "a little bit of everything." Who can blame him. We're talking about a Hall of Fame quarterback, to use the words of head coach Robert Saleh.
"I think he’s extremely accurate underneath," Wilson said. "I think the way he’s able to place the ball, and then you see his completion percentage, how he takes care of the ball, and then he’s able to be that athletic, scramble-type quarterback a little bit, off-schedule being able to create plays out of nothing while protecting himself. I like the way he plays in the offense and outside of the offense."
Rodgers won't be playing defense against Wilson this week. In a sense, they really aren't facing each other. But hanging with a legend like Rodgers between the lines—as expectations regarding this upstart offense continue to rise—would do wonders for Wilson in terms of development, confidence and respect around the league.
To do so, he'll need to continue to take care of the football, play smart and utilize the playmakers at his disposal, something he's accomplished through his first two games of the year, returning from preseason knee surgery.
"We got play makers all around, you can’t scheme against us and say if we take away this one guy, they’re not going to have another element in the pass game," Wilson explained. "I think it shows we have the ability to spread the ball around, one guy is going to go off each and every game and it can change up and we’re slowly finding our identity as an offense as well. It’s a good thing to have that many guys that can get open."
A win on Sunday would give the Jets their best start since 2015, matching their 17-game win total from last year in just six contests this season.
MORE:
- Game Plan For Jets to Stop Aaron Rodgers, Defeat Green Bay Packers
- Jets' Rookie Class Continues to Shine: 'We Have So Much Potential'
- Jets' Breece Hall Showed He's a Superstar Against Dolphins
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