‘Appearance v reality’: Aaron Rodgers denies fallout with top receiver Garrett Wilson
Aaron Rodgers and Garrett Wilson talk a lot. Sometimes they get a little animated when they’re making a point. But when a fan-shot video posted to social media last week showed the New York Jets quarterback and wide receiver having what some called “a heated argument” on the sidelines, the internet and sports talk radio went crazy.
A pair of other recent training camp videos showing similar conversations have added to fans’ concerns that Rodgers and Wilson may be having issues with their on-field chemistry.
“I think there’s a lot of appearance versus reality in life and on the football field,” Rodgers said Wednesday. “And what appears to be is not always what the reality actually is. As far as whether we’re mad at each other or not, we just talk passionately about the details of a situation that may have nothing to do with either of us. G and I have a great relationship. We spend time together off the field. On the field, there’s a way of doing things that we both agree on.
“And if it doesn’t look exactly the way we want it to, sometimes there are some side conversations that happen.”
Rodgers said he welcomes the chance to talk openly with his teammates. “I love those conversations,” Rodgers said. “It’s about the details, it’s about winning, it’s about seeing what he sees. He’s got to get on my page, but I’ve got to get on his page, because he’s got a whole book that I have to fully understand about skill and ability and feel and rhythm and all the different things that he does there. So those are good conversations.”
“They may seem a lot more heated than they are, but there is usually a smile on our faces. At least one of us is.”
Rodgers and Wilson know they need each other to be in sync heading into the season. The 40-year-old quarterback will lean heavily on the wide receiver, who is entering his third year as one of the best players at his position — without yet receiving a regular-season pass from Rodgers.
“I’m a different person on the court than when you see me after the game or anywhere else,” Wilson said. “And Aaron’s kind of the same. We both think the same way and we try to find a way to attack our defense.”
Wilson said the conversations are crucial to building a bond after Rodgers was injured on the Jets’ opening drive in 2023 and missed the rest of the season.
“When we have those conversations and the way we are, we get better,” Wilson said. “We get to understand each other and the way we approach things, the way we think and interpret the game. It’s really enlightening to me every time we have those conversations, no matter what it looks like.”
Rodgers added that it was “news to me” when he heard coach Robert Saleh tell reporters it was his “instinct” to sit the quarterback in the preseason. Saleh said Rodgers would definitely miss the Jets’ first two preseason games — with discussion about him playing in the third coming up.
“That’s Robert’s decision,” Rodgers said. “I’ve never told him I don’t want to play in pre-season. There’s a lot of thought that goes into whether it gives some advantage.”
Rodgers hasn’t played in the preseason in his last few seasons in Green Bay. He played two series in New York’s preseason finale last summer against the Giants — and he’s not averse to doing so again this summer.
“If he decides I have to play against the Giants, I’ll brace myself and look forward to it,” Rodgers said.