Aaron Rodgers calls out Joe Namath for ripping Zach Wilson
New York Jets (1-2) quarterback Aaron Rodgers appeared to take a jab at team legend Joe Namath after the Hall of Fame quarterback had some scathing criticism for Zach Wilson after Sunday’s 15-10 Week 3 defeat to the New England Patriots (1-2).
Rodgers, who suffered a season-ending Achilles injury on New York’s first offensive drive of the season, said on “The Pat McAfee Show” Tuesday that the Jets need to stick together amid the outside criticism from the “fan base and former players as well.”
“You gotta find a way to block some of that out,” Rodgers said, via USA Today. “Obviously, you’re gonna hear about it or somebody’s gonna text you something or you might see something, a conversation about it. When you’re riding high, you can’t get into it too much, just like when the whole world feels like it’s crashing down on you, you can’t get too wrapped up in that…
“I said it to them in the preseason. Our toughest task is handling success, and that’s whether we’re having success or not having success. It doesn’t mean you’re winning all the time you gotta handle it the right way. It’s when we’re not having success, how do we respond? How do we respond in adversity? And that goes for our fan base and former players as well. You’re not helping the cause.”
Joe Namath rips Zach Wilson after poor performance in place of Aaron Rodgers
Without Rodgers, the Jets have dropped back-to-back games with Wilson under center, scoring just 20 combined points in the Week 2 defeat to the Dallas Cowboys and the Week 3 loss to the Patriots. Wilson threw for just 157 yards on 18-of-36 passes against New England.
That was the final straw for Namath, who said on “The Michael Kay Show” Monday that he’s “seen enough” of Wilson.
“Send him to Kansas City to back up against somebody like [Patrick] Mahomes and maybe learn something. I wouldn’t keep him,” Namath said, via the New York Post. “I’ve seen enough of Zach Wilson, all right? I’ve seen enough. Has quick feet, can throw a little bit, but I don’t believe what’s going on up there.”
Though Wilson has continued to get the vote of confidence from head coach Robert Saleh, general manager Joe Douglas brought in a veteran quarterback Tuesday. The Jets signed Trevor Siemian, whom the Cincinnati Bengals released on Aug. 29 after he failed to beat out Jake Browning for the backup job.