D.J. Reed: Aaron Rodgers, Garett Wilson connection ‘definitely on a different zone right now’ at Jets camp

Garrett Wilson posted 1,000-plus yards in all of his first two NFL seasons while catching passes from Zach Wilson, Mike White, Joe Flacco, Trevor Siemian and Tim Boyle.

Imagine what Wilson can do with a healthy Aaron Rodgers.

One year ago, the Wilson-Rodgers duo looked ready for a big year before Rodgers’ season ended after four snaps. With the four-time MVP returning to play, expectations are even higher in 2024.

During the NFL Network’s Back Together Weekend on Saturday, Rodgers gushed about Wilson’s otherworldly talent, stating that he is still learning as a third-year wide receiver.

“He’s hard to throw to, honestly — he’s so damn fast,” Rodgers said. “I threw a ball to him on the first play of practice on Wednesday, and I threw it and I thought maybe I had overthrown him and he actually slowed down maybe half a step. So, it takes some getting used to. He’s just so dynamic because he can go from zero to full speed so quickly, and he can look like he’s just kind of gliding out there because he’s moving so fast. It’s a gift.

“Now his thing is the details. If we can get him to figure out just a little minor details, things are going to take off. We had a play today that I asked him to do something on rep he wasn’t going to get (the ball), and he didn’t realize it at the time, but it was setting up a play later in practice where we had a similar look. He comes back, and he kind of got it. So, it’s little things like that.

“He’s in his third year, he’s going to figure it out. He has all the skill sets; he’s as dynamic as I’ve ever been around. If he can figure out how to practice with those details, then you get in the game, and he just relies on his instincts and it’s going to be really special.”

Rodgers’ intelligence, experience, and feel for the offense combined with Garett’s talent, will certainly help Wilson expand his game on the field. The former MVP knows how to bring out the best in his players in crucial moments. Just like he once nurtured Davante Adams, he can leverage Wilson’s ability to win off the line.

Off the field, Rodgers believes Wilson is becoming a leader who inspires other players.

“I don’t want to turn off the passion at all — he’s a passionate guy, he’s got a contagious energy about him,” the Jets QB told NFL Network’s Judy Battista and Brian Baldinger. “It’s just when that passion becomes overly demonstrative, then we want to scale it back a little bit. But his passion is an asset. So, I don’t want to turn any off.

“I want him to take the next step in leadership because I think he can really take the next step. There’s certain guys on a roster that are the energy guys that everybody is kind of looking to. By default, the quarterback is often that guy, but for him, he’s got to realize that people are watching him at all times. It’s no longer you’re a rookie, or you’re a second-year expectation — no, now you’re in a position to lead, and when you do that, everybody is watching all the time. They’re watching how your attitude is, how your interactions are with the guys and so his next step is that leadership role, and I think he’s going to embrace that. He could be a dynamic leader for us.”

Although the pads have not come on yet, the early returns on the Rodgers-Wilson special are evident in camp. Veteran cornerback D.J.Reed said the duo is putting pressure on a good defense. 

“I’ll just say: 8 [Rodgers] and Garrett, they’re definitely in a different zone right now,” he said. “What we’re being asked to do, they’re making it hard. They know what we’re in, so they’re giving us the hard downs, which is ultimately going to prepare for Game 1 and the season. But with their chemistry, they’re doing stuff, like, on the go. They’re running a certain route. If you over pursue, they’re running another route. They’re definitely in a different element. But it’s ultimately going to make me better.”

If Rodgers and Wilson are both healthy in the 2024 season, they should be one of the top QB-WR combos in the NFL.