‘Appearance v reality’: Aaron Rodgers denies fallout with top receiver Garrett Wilson

Aaron Rodgers and Garrett Wilson talk to each other a lot. Sometimes they can get a little animated while making a point. But when a video shot by a fan and posted on social media last week showed the New York Jets quarterback and wide receiver having what some termed “a heated disagreement” on the sideline, it sent the internet and sports talk radio into a frenzy.
A few other recent training camp videos showing similar conversations only added to the worries by fans that Rodgers and Wilson may have issues with their on-field chemistry.
“I think there’s often appearance versus reality in life and on the football field,” Rodgers said on Wednesday. “And what it appears to be might not always be what the reality actually is. As far as whether or not we’re upset with each other, we’re just passionately talking about the details of a situation that might not have to do with either of us. G and I got 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 when it doesn’t look exactly how we want it to, sometimes there’s some side conversations that happen.”
Rodgers said he welcomes an opportunity to have open discussions 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, too, because he’s got a whole book that I need to understand fully of skill set and ability and feel and rhythm and all the different things that he does out there. So, those are good conversations.
“They might appear to be much more heated than they are, but there’s usually a smile on our face afterward. 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 rely heavily on the wide receiver, who’s entering his third year as one of the top players at his position – without having caught a regular-season pass yet from Rodgers.
“I’m a different guy out on the field than whenever you all see me after the game or wherever that may be,” Wilson said. “And Aaron’s kind of the same way. We’re both like-minded and we’re trying to figure out a way to attack our defense.”
Wilson said the conversations are vital to developing a rapport after Rodgers was injured in the Jets’ opening drive of 2023 and missed the rest of the season.
“Whenever we’re out there having those conversations and getting the way we are, we’re getting better,” Wilson said. “We’re gaining an understanding for each other and the way we go about things, the way we think and interpret the game. It’s truly enlightening for me every time we have convos like that, despite how it may look.”
Rodgers added that it was “news to me” when he heard coach Robert Saleh told reporters it was his “instinct” to sit the quarterback in the preseason. Saleh said Rodgers would definitely sit out the Jets’ first two preseason games – with a discussion about him playing in the third upcoming.
“That’s Robert’s decision,” Rodgers said. “I’ve never told him I don’t want to play in the preseason. There’s a lot of thoughts about whether there’s any particular gain from it.”
Rodgers didn’t play in the preseason in his last several seasons in Green Bay. He played two series in New York’s preseason finale last summer against the Giants – and he’s not opposed to doing so again this summer.
“If he decides he wants me to play against the Giants, I’ll strap it up and look forward to that,” Rodgers said.