Jets WR Garrett Wilson 'feels like a kid again' with Aaron Rodgers back
Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson catches a pass during a joint practice with the Carolina Panthers on Thursday in Charlotte, N.C. Credit: Matt Kelley
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Having Aaron Rodgers as his quarterback has Garrett Wilson feeling like a kid again.
Wilson said with Rodgers he’s able to do things -- some of them basic -- that he couldn’t do with Jets quarterbacks the past two years.
“For me it feels like pure football,” Wilson said after Thursday’s joint practice with Carolina. “It feels like I’m a kid again. I can kind of believe what I can see. It’s always been a thinking game when you play receiver. There are adjustments within plays, within routes. Based on the quarterback you can either do them or you can’t. With Aaron, everything is … you can do it. That’s how football should be played.”
Wilson has caught passes from seven quarterbacks: Zach Wilson, Mike White, Joe Flacco, Chris Streveler, Tim Boyle and Trevor Siemian. Rodgers tore his Achilles tendon in Week 1 last season and didn’t complete a pass.
Garrett Wilson had a better connection with White and Flacco than Zach Wilson. The Jets traded Zach to Denver during the offseason.
Quarterback play was a main reason the Jets missed the playoffs the last two years, and led to frustrating times for Wilson, who remarkably had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons.
Rodgers and Garrett Wilson have had some animated discussions in practice. They say it’s part of them getting on the same page.
Wilson definitely defers to Rodgers because he’s seen and done much more. He tells receivers exactly where he wants them based on the play. But Wilson knows he can freelance within the play based on the coverage. He said he couldn’t do that the past two years.
“We don’t have to overthink anything to try and comp … ,” Wilson said before stopping himself. He then reiterated how important the details are, but that Rodgers easily adjusts when needed.
“(If) the dude’s sitting right at 7 yards, just run past his [butt], put your hand up,” Wilson continued. “That’s the kind of the stuff you can do with Aaron, you couldn’t do last year or the year before. It’s really cool and I’m excited to be a part of it.”
The Jets’ starting offense wasn’t that sharp against Carolina. They started slowly but finished strong, scoring a touchdown in a two-minute drill.
Rodgers completed 15 of 23 passes with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Wilson caught both touchdown passes as he continues to look unguardable this camp.
Robert Saleh said Wilson has improved “the fine details of his route running” and it’s making it tougher for teams to defend him.
“It’s understanding that sometimes you don't always have to just absolutely destroy your guy at the line of scrimmage,” Saleh said. “He's realizing that his game, he's so darn good and so twitchy and so fast that he doesn't have to do a lot to gain the separation that he needs to get open.”
Wilson is a perfectionist and always looking to improve. He’s worked on getting stronger and is lifting hard after practice. Wilson doesn’t like taking plays off, either.
When he told receivers coach Shawn Jefferson “turn me loose,” before last week’s joint practice with Washington, Wilson said it was because he wanted a full workload against a different defense.
“I wanted SJ to know he doesn’t have to cater to me,” Wilson said. “Just treat me like a guy that’s got to go prove everything.”
The driven Wilson says he still has a lot to prove.
“Yeah, 100%,” he said. “Damn right. That’s the reality of it. In this league the moment you stop feeling like that you’re probably not going to be in it that much longer.”
Fight-filled day
There were three different skirmishes, all involving the Jets’ defense and Panthers offense.
After receiver Terrace Marshall caught a touchdown on D.J. Reed, he tossed the ball at Reed, who was on the ground. Some Jets confronted Marshall and then Reed got up and fired the ball at Marshall’s back. A lot of pushing and shoving ensued
Another dustup involved Micheal Clemons, who threw some punches. The third was after a hard hit by Jets safety Chuck Clark on Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard.
Two-minute drill
Quinnen Williams (sore shoulder) did not practice. Saleh said he’s “not concerned” and Williams would have played if it were a game day . . . The Jets’ entire starting offensive line was together for most of the competitive periods.
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
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