Aaron Rodgers, the quarterback for the New York Jets, felt a little bad about the team benching Zach Wilson earlier this week.
Tim Boyle will start for the Buffalo Bills in Week 12 against the Miami Dolphins, according to head coach Robert Saleh, following Sunday’s humiliating 32-6 loss on the road. Wilson was dropped to third-string duties and journeyman Trevor Siemian was added to the active roster.
According to Rodgers, he feels “personal guilt” about Wilson being benched during his most recent appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” (via Karl Rasmussen of Sports Illustrated):
“I feel for Zach, I love Zach. Zach is such a great kid. And I do think he still has a bright future in the league. This has been a tough go for all of us. A lot of times in these situations, there’s certain guys they’ve got to scapegoat. I think there’s enough blame to go around at a number of different positions…
This was obviously not the way any of us thought this was going to go down. It was going to be me and my show and Zach getting to learn and watch it first hand, and not having the pressure to go out there and play. So, obviously this is disappointing and I have some personal guilt about the whole thing.”
"I love Zach Wilson and he's a great kid..
I have some personal guilt around the whole thing and I'm frustrated that I haven't been able to play..
Zach would've had the opportunity to learn and grow without the pressure on him this season" ~ @AaronRodgers12 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/GxRQtIDwfp
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) November 21, 2023
The newly acquired quarterback for the Jets is recuperating from surgery to repair a torn Achilles that he sustained against the Bills in Week 1. At some point this season, the 39-year-old Rodgers expects to make a miraculous and quick recovery.
The Jets selected Wilson second overall in the 2021 draft, but he had a very difficult first two years. Despite Rodgers’ (probably) season-ending injury in Week 1, there was optimism that Wilson would grow from his offseason education under Rodgers.
However, Wilson was benched after losing six of his nine starts and only completing 59.2 percent of the passes for 1,944 yards, six touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
