Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett delivered an inspiring message to Zach Wilson on Monday night, the same night the team lost star quarterback Aaron Rodgers for the season.
Wilson, who was expected to serve as Rodgers’ backup, was thrust into the action in the first quarter of Monday’s season opener vs. the Bills when the 39-year-old future Hall of Famer suffered an Achilles injury four plays into the game.
In new footage from “Inside the NFL,” Hackett — who became the Jets offensive coordinator in January and previously worked with Rodgers in Green Bay — told Wilson on the sidelines: “Don’t ever get too high, don’t ever get too low … alright, breathe, relax and play your game.”
It’s unclear when the exchange transpired.
Wilson delivered an uneven performance in the Jets’ 22-16 overtime win against the Bills, going 14-for-21 with 140 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Jets head coach Robert Saleh confirmed Tuesday the team will be sticking with Wilson, 24, moving forward.
“I want to make it very clear, Zach’s our quarterback,” Saleh said. “We have a lot of faith in Zach. We’re rolling with Zach and excited for him.”
Although the Jets will look at quarterback to add to the team, Saleh verified there won’t be a competition for the starting job.
“Under no circumstances is any of this a competition,” Saleh said. “This is Zach’s team and we’re rolling with Zach.”
Wilson, the second-overall pick in 2021, entered this season as a mentee to Rodgers, his childhood idol.
Shortly after the Jets secured their first win of the season, Wilson expressed how heartbroken he is for Rodgers.
“I have so much love for him, my heart goes out to him,’’ Wilson said. “That’s tough. It hurts us as a team, but my job as a quarterback is I’ve got to step up and I’ve got be as efficient as I can in the offense. I’ve tried to learn as much as I can from [Rodgers] but I’ve also got to be ready to go.”
Despite the devastating loss of the four-time MVP for the year, Saleh has faith in his team.
“I don’t know why people are trying to put an obituary onto our team’s name,” he said Tuesday.
“Aaron is an unbelievable piece to this whole thing and we love him, but I think there’s 52 other guys in the locker room plus the 16 practice squad guys that believe that we can do a hell of a lot of good things here.”
The Jets visit the Cowboys this Sunday before hosting the Patriots on Sept. 24.
