Getty New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson making a play during an NFL game.
A pair of new teammates are already building chemistry together.
New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers talked about that developing bond with wide receiver Garrett Wilson during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.
“Obviously Garrett, he is a talented guy. I threw him a pass today and I just kind of turned and was like wow,” Rodgers explained on PMS on Tuesday, May 2. “His ability to kind of get in and out of breaks. There is another 17 I played with for a long time who does it better than anybody but the explosiveness in and out of the breaks to the 17 here is pretty similar.”
#Jets QB Aaron Rodgers (@AaronRodgers12) just compared Garrett Wilson (@GarrettWilson_V) to Davante Adams (@tae15adams), ‘ability to get in & out of his breaks, there’s another 1️⃣7️⃣ I played w/‘ 👀 ‘the explosiveness in & out is pretty similar’: 🎥 @PatMcAfeeShow #PMSLive
No. 17 Garrett Wilson = No. 17 Davante Adams
The No. 17 that Rodgers was referencing is his former teammate Davante Adams.
Adams was drafted in 2014 by the Green Bay Packers and spent all eight of his NFL seasons with A-Rod.
The 30-year-old came from humble beginnings as the No. 53 overall pick in the second round.
He didn’t immediately become the artist everyone knows as Davante Adams. It took him a few years to become the six-time Pro Bowler everyone knows now as a household name at the position.
During his time with Rodgers, he caught 669 receptions for 8,121 yards and hauled in 73 touchdowns.
It’ll take a while for Wilson who just completed his first NFL season to reach that level, but earning that praise after only a handful of practices is super encouraging news.
Garrett Wilson Will Have a Chance to Smash Jets Records
There have only been a few bites of the apple so far in practice, but fans are losing their gosh darn bananas over the Rodgers-to-Wilson connection.
Jets Owner Woody Johnson posted a long highlight reel on Twitter and it included a five-second slow-motion clip of Rodgers and Wilson connecting.
OH BABY: Aaron Rodgers (@AaronRodgers12) ➡️ Garrett Wilson (@GarrettWilson_V) 🎥 @woodyjohnson4 #TakeFlight #Jets
The Jets have added a ton of pieces on offense this offseason but make no mistake about it Wilson is the straw that stirs the drink for this team.
He was able to dominate and won the first-ever Offensive Rookie of the Year award in franchise history. The former Ohio State product accomplished that historic feat despite playing with four different quarterbacks in 2022.
You can never guarantee a clean bill of health in football, but the Jets plan on playing one guy at that position next season.
Wilson caught 83 balls for 1,103 receiving yards and scored four touchdowns. If we take Adams’ four best seasons with the Packers and averaged it out that could provide us an idea of what Wilson could accomplish with better quarterback play.
That would put Wilson at 108 catches for 1,327.5 yards with 11.75 touchdowns.
For context that would be the second-most catches in franchise history in a single season (only one behind Brandon Marshall). It would be the third most yards only behind Marshall and Pro Football Hall of Famer Don Maynard. While the touchdowns would place him sixth on the Jets’ all-time list.
The Jets have never had a quarterback in its history with Rodgers’ credentials so it’s nearly impossible to imagine what that could mean for the rest of the offense in 2023.