Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show, New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers addressed the swirling rumors surrounding his teammate, Zach Wilson.
The controversy stems from a report by Dianna Russini of The Athletic which stating that the young quarterback was hesitant to return to the field this season despite the team’s desire to reinstate him.
If you read between the lines, the injured Rodgers didn’t exact deny Russini’s report that Wilson is allegedly reluctant to return to the field for fear of getting injured … His anger is mostly directed at whoever leaked out the information to begin with.
Timeline of events we are reporting: Zach Wilson made clear to multiple members of the organization — players, staff, coaches — of his apprehension to start due to perceived injury risk, per sources. The conversations with Rodgers came as a result of Wilson’s shared sentiments…
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) December 4, 2023
Aaron Rodgers reached out to Zach Wilson in an effort to advise him to resume the starter role, but at the time, Wilson remained apprehensive due to perceived injury risk, per sources.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) December 4, 2023
Despite being furious with whoever leaked the information, it’s clear that Rodgers is also annoyed with Russini for facilitating the report and “assassinating” Wilson’s character in the process.
“When you use sources to try to assassinate someone’s character like that report does for Zach? I have a real hard time with that,” Rodgers said.
“You’re basically saying that this kid is quitting on the team and doesn’t want to play and is giving the middle finger to the organization,” he continued.
"When you use sources to try and assassinate someone's character like that report does for Zach I have a real hard time with that..
You're basically saying that this kid is quitting on the team and doesn't wanna play" @AaronRodgers12 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/b9WNCSIoKB
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 5, 2023
Rodgers acknowledged that Wilson has faced challenges since being drafted second overall in 2021 and asserted that the young quarterback has every right to be frustrated with his early years in the NFL.
“He’s gone through a lot of sh*t,” Rodgers said.
Expressing disappointment in the leak of potentially damaging information, Rodgers criticized the act as “chickensh*t at its core” and insisted that such behavior has no place in a winning organization.
Meanwhile, Russini stuck by her reporting…
“Really, Rodgers is frustrated with the leaks that are coming out of this Jets building right now, because it is portraying Zach Wilson as a person who’s not choosing the team,” she said.
“His reluctance to playing has everything to do with the potential of him getting hurt as well as really the way the Jets have conducted business with him.”
“All the people that we’ve been talking to aren’t lying to us. And Rodgers made that pretty clear that he’s just frustrated with the information getting out.”
Russini said she understood that Jets head coach Robert Saleh had to publicly deny her report…
“Robert Saleh had to come out here and deny this report, because it makes the organization look bad,” she said.
“I understand why the Jets are upset about this story getting out but this is a problem they have to deal with right now as they try to come to a decision as to who is going to start.”
"(Aaron) Rodgers is frustrated with the leaks coming out of this Jets building right now."
The Athletic's NFL insider @DMRussini responds to Rodgers' comments that the leaks about Zach Wilson are "chickens—." pic.twitter.com/VQD8P5Xv6P
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) December 5, 2023
Rodgers urged the Jets to investigate and uncover the source of the leak, emphasizing the need to address the issue for the sake of the team’s integrity.
The Jets decided to release backup quarterback Tim Boyle. They then signed Brett Rypien off the Seattle Seahawks practice squad.
Saleh has yet to confirm who will be starting this week’s game against the Houston Texans.
Where do you stand on the Rodgers-Russini feud?
It’s understandable and expected that Rodgers would be protective of his teammates … Although the well-connected Russini was just doing her job.
If her report is true, and there’s very little reason to think it wouldn’t be, it speaks a hell of a lot about Wilson’s heart and competitive character.
Perhaps Rodgers should be more concerned with that…