Even Green Bay Packers superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers couldn’t help but note just how good New York Jets rookie Zach Wilson looked on Saturday.
“He can throw the heck out of it,” the future Hall-of-Famer told NFL Network during the Jets’ 23-14 Week 2 preseason victory.
Wilson continued showing flashes of things to come — in a good way, remarkably enough for the Jets — on Saturday by completing 9-of-11 passes for 128 yards and a pair of touchdowns, good for a 154.7 rating.
“I think it’s part of the process,” Wilson said. “Just stack this up one on another. I think it goes back to the joint practices, too. How can we just keep building off of those, good or bad? Out on the field as well, just how we just keep getting better and learning from even the good plays.”
He played in four series in the first half, leading the Jets to those two touchdowns — both 18-yard strikes to new No. 1 tight end Tyler Kroft — and a field goal.
“His process is light years ahead of what a normal rookie’s process will be,” Jets head coach Robert Saleh said. “For him, the results sometimes will be good, sometimes they will be bad. He has to continue to find ways to get better when he sees both.”
So far it’s been good, at least in game action. Wilson has yet to record a three-and-out while on the field this preseason, though it’s worth noting that he hasn’t played against a full-strength, first-team defense yet.
Regardless, it’s promising to see this kind of production for a franchise that has been starved of a bona fide franchise quarterback for so long. Even more so was his rapport with one of the largest offseason acquisitions in wide receiver Corey Davis.
The two hooked up four times for 70 yards against the Packers, including a pair of third-down conversions.
“He’s a great player,” Wilson said of Davis. “I just have a lot of trust in him and all his 1-on-1 routes that he’s going to get open. I hope he’s got trust I’m going to get him the ball.”
