The Jets can’t seem to shake Aaron Rodgers‘s ghost – even after he left for Pittsburgh. Remember last season’s drama? The skipped minicamps, the Egypt vacation while teammates practiced, the rumored frostiness with receivers not named Davante Adams. Nobody felt that chill more than Garrett Wilson. The young star who openly questioned the team’s direction during Rodgers’s brief, chaotic tenure. Now with Rodgers in black and gold, Wilson remains in green and white. But their complicated past might still shape his future in ways nobody anticipated.

While the Steelers worry about Rodgers building chemistry with their receivers, the Jets are dealing with an unexpected Rodgers-related twist that could change everything for their homegrown playmaker. The Jets just made Garrett Wilson a very rich man – $130 million over four years $90 M guaranteed, locking down their star receiver through 2030. But the real story isn’t the money, it’s the unspoken Rodgers effect that almost changed everything. “This means two things,” NFL insider Ian Rapoport revealed in conversation with Tom Pelissero on NFL. “One, instead of requesting a trade like he probably would have done if Aaron Rodgers was back, he is now not going anywhere.” Translation? Wilson might’ve bolted if Rodgers stuck around.

Instead, he’s now the centerpiece of New York’s future, with stats that back up the payday. The 2022 Offensive Rookie of the Year racked up 1,000+ yards in all three of his NFL seasons (a Jets first), totaling 3,249 yards and 14 TDs on 279 catches. “I’m hopeful I’m a Jet for life,” Wilson said this spring. And now, GM Darren Mougey made that dream a $150.3 million reality.

But Rapoport dropped another bombshell: “Their other big-time priority? Sauce Gardner… likely to be one of (or the) highest-paid corners.” With Wilson secured, the Jets are all-in on their young core. No more Rodgers drama. Just cold, hard investments in homegrown talent. Now that Garrett got his paycheck, what exactly was between him and Rodgers that the receiver wouldn’t have agreed to this deal if the QB stayed?

Rodgers and Garrett Wilson’s rocky partnership

The Aaron Rodgers-Garrett Wilson partnership was supposed to be fireworks. Instead, it fizzled like a wet match. From the jump, they never clicked. Sources told The Athletic the duo “weren’t exactly the best of friends,” trading subtle jabs in press conferences all season. Rodgers, laser-focused on forcing throws to buddy Davante Adams in the red zone, seemed to freeze out Wilson. Even when the young receiver burned coverage.

The tension boiled over in December when both aired frustrations publicly, but insiders saw the cracks earlier. “There have been questions regarding whether Rodgers and Wilson can find common ground since they had a blowup during training camp,” Ian Rapoport reported midseason. Rodgers hated the Jets’ run scheme (his friend Mark Schlereth revealed he ranted for “25 minutes” about it), while Wilson’s habit of freelancing routes drew the QB’s ire. The result? A broken offense that averaged just 19.9 points per game, with both guys healthy.

“Those who know [Wilson] well believe he’s been frustrated at the lack of looks from Rodgers,” Rapoport added. By season’s end, whispers swirled that Wilson might demand a trade if Rodgers stayed. The low point came in Week 14, when cameras caught Wilson slamming his helmet after Rodgers ignored him wide-open on a critical 3rd down. Teammates later told ESPN the sideline erupted into “a shouting match nobody wanted to mediate.” Even Rodgers’ staunchest defenders couldn’t spin it. “You don’t pay a guy top-5 receiver money to be a decoy,” an AFC scout told The Athletic.

Then came January’s damage control. “There’s no truth to that,” Wilson finally told ESPN about the feud rumors. “Social media is not real… I’m going to try and finish this thing the right way.” In the end, money talked louder than any feud. Wilson got his bag ($90 million guaranteed), Rodgers got his fresh start in Pittsburgh, and the Jets? They finally picked a side. No more walking on eggshells.