Jets' Aaron Rodgers feels guilty over Zach Wilson demotion

Injured New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers feels bad the torn Achilles he suffered in Week 1 ultimately resulted in head coach Robert Saleh relegating 2021 first-round draft pick Zach Wilson to third on the depth chart for Friday's home game against the 7-3 Miami Dolphins. 

"This was obviously not the way any of us thought it was going to go down," Rodgers explained during a Tuesday appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show," per Safid Deen of USA Today. "It was going to be me and my show, and Zach getting to learn and watch it firsthand and not having the pressure to go out there and play." 

Rodgers initially apologized to wide receiver Garrett Wilson shortly after the future Hall of Famer went down on Sept. 11. After the Jets dropped three straight games to fall to 4-6, Saleh named unproven veteran Tim Boyle as his QB1 versus Miami. 

"I have some personal guilt around the whole thing," Rodgers added. "I’m p----- I wasn’t able to play and frustrated. If I was out there, I’d feel like we were playing well. There would obviously be different narratives about our team and Zach would have the opportunity to learn and grow and see what it looks like without the pressure on and being able to sit in those meetings and go through the season and just watch me and my process. So, I’m disappointed and sad about that." 

Saleh insisted on Monday he believes "Zach's going to have a really good career in this league" despite all that's happened over the past three seasons. Rodgers said on Tuesday he still thinks the 24-year-old "does have a bright future" as an NFL quarterback, but it seems that future won't involve the Jets for much longer.

"We’re all going to support Tim and move forward," Rodgers continued. "But we’re also going to put our arms around Zach and love on him because he’s a great kid. And it’s not all his fault. And this is the way it goes sometimes." 

Rodgers reportedly wants to return to the lineup as soon as the Week 16 contest against the Washington Commanders on Christmas Eve, and his plan is one reason Saleh could no longer trust that Zach Wilson would flip a figurative switch and become even an average player at the position overnight. It remains to be seen if Rodgers will shut himself down if the Jets lose two or more of their next four matchups.