Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) looks for an open teammate, Sunday, September 7, 2025, in East Rutherford. Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Did Aaron Rodgers Just Call Out Jets WR Garrett Wilson?

Originally posted on New York Jets on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Sep 11, 2025 12:55 PM ET

The New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers' Week 1 showdown certainly sparked plenty of conversations.

Aaron Rodgers returned to face off against his old team and ended up coming out on top, 34-32. It was a good game for the Jets offense, but some mistakes late helped push the game in Pittsburgh's favor. That is one thing the team has addressed this week, for example by cutting Xavier Gipson who fumbled in the fourth quarter.

The Jets offense showed some serious flash, especially with Justin Fields, Breece Hall, Garrett Wilson, and the offensive line. Wilson broke out in the passing game hauling seven receptions for 95 yards and a touchdown.

With all of the drama of the 2024 season and seemingly falling behind Davante Adams in the passing game for Rodgers, it must've felt good to have a big game.

Pittsburgh receiver DK Metcalf had a big game in his first one with the Steelers grabbing four catches for 83 yards, including a 31-yard reception.

On Wednesday, Brooke Pryor of ESPN shared a clip of Rodgers talking about Metcalf's performance against the Jets and some have taken it as a potential dig at Wilson.

The former Jets quarterback spoke out

"He’s about the right stuff," Rodgers said. "He cares about it. He cares about it enough to watch the film and put in the time and take notes and ask questions and come over and sit next to me during the week at various times to try to get on the same page. I love him. That’s unfortunately not the standard around the league that I've been accustomed to.

"That was a lot of the times in Green Bay because those guys kind of saw what it was like with Jordy Nelson and then Randall Cobb, James Jones. Davante got to watch that and he was the next guy in line. There's a way to go about it, but when you're lead dog in the room, who is also a great guy and prepares the right way, it makes it easy for the rest of the room."

Obviously, there's no way to know what exactly what Rodger is thinking for sure. But, mentioning Metcalf and then all of the guys in Green Bay without a mention of the Jets does seem to be a bit intentional. Again, this is analyzing a person's comments, maybe he meant something different. But, it does seem to be at least a slight dig.

There were rumors towards the end of the 2024 season that Wilson would request a trade if Rodgers stayed. Also, he said before the matchup he hasn't spoken with Rodgers since the Jets cut ties with him.

Connecting all of the dots, it seems pretty likely, but no way to be 100 percent sure.

This article first appeared on New York Jets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: