Jets Updates

• Jets interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich has confirmed that QB Aaron Rodgers is dealing with a knee injury but anticipates that he will play this week. (Brian Costello)
• Rodgers has mentioned that he is dealing with an MCL issue but plans to be on the field in Week 17. (Costello)
• When asked what it would signify if the team wants him back for 2025, Rodgers said, “It’d mean that they see me as an important part of helping the culture, the changeover, whatever they do at head coach and helping the next wave of New York Jets. That’d be special to hear that, but if they don’t, again, no offense at all will be taken.” (Rich Cimini)
• Rodgers expressed that he does not expect discussions about his future with the team immediately following the season: “So many uncertainties. There’s a GM that has to get hired first, and then he’s going to be part of hiring the head coach. And so I have to be in the plans of multiple people, starting with the ownership and then the GM and then the head coach. So that’s why to me, that would not be a conversation I’m expecting anytime soon until those things are in place.” (Cimini)
• When asked if he thinks owner Woody Johnson wants him back, Rodgers stated they have not discussed his future: “You should ask Woody.” (Cimini)

Reflections on Mike LaFleur

Following his matchup against former offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur with the Rams in Week 16, Jets WR Garrett Wilson admitted that he may not have fully appreciated LaFleur’s offensive approach and their shared moments.

“My rookie year, looking back on it, it was a special time and I might’ve taken it for granted,” Wilson stated, via Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post. “I love him. To see how he is helping out that offense and watching them today with their plan to run the ball and the way they executed, I’m happy for him. I hope it continues to take place throughout the playoffs because I really do appreciate him.”

• Jets WR Garrett Wilson has been noncommittal about his future in New York. Aaron Rodgers revealed that he has discussed some of that frustration with Wilson: “Yeah, I have. I’ve talked to him throughout the season about some of it, yeah.” (Rich Cimini)
• Rodgers clarified he hasn’t communicated with Wilson about his situation in recent weeks but reiterated their previous conversations: “No, not this week. No, not in the last couple of weeks, but it’s not the first time. So there’s been conversations about it.”
• Rodgers understands Wilson’s desire for the ball more frequently: “Receivers want the ball. I understand that.”

Focus on Getting Wilson the Ball

Jets interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich emphasized the need to get WR Garrett Wilson more involved in the offense.

“At the end of the day, we have to find ways to get Garrett the ball more often,” Ulbrich said, via Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post. “He’s one of the best players on our team — if not one of the best players in this league, especially at his position. The progression, for a lot of different reasons from a coverage standpoint, took [Rodgers] off Garrett. But, at the same time, we have to find ways to get him the ball, for sure.”

Ulbrich recognizes Wilson’s frustration and understands his potential impact on the team’s success.

“If you weren’t frustrated, I think that would bother me to an extent,” Ulbrich explained. “I think he’s just one of those ultimate competitors that wants the ball. Not for selfish reasons — just from the standpoint he knows he can help our team win if he does have the ball in his hands.”

Jets DT Quinnen Williams missed Week 16 due to a hamstring injury, but Ulbrich mentioned that there is a “chance” he may return to action against the Bills.

“There’s a chance,” Ulbrich stated. “One of those rare guys that, one, his body heals faster than most, and, two, he’s got this internal drive to go out there and play for his teammates.”