Aaron Rodgers defends 'amazing young man' Zach Wilson and slams report he was 'reluctant to return' to starting role for Jets: 'He's been through a lot of s***'

Aaron Rodgers has defended Zach Wilson amid a report that the quarterback was hesitant to return to the starting lineup for the Jets.

'I love the kid. I've spent a lot of time with him. I think he's an amazing young man... and he is young, he's early 20s,' Rodgers said on the Pat McAfee Show.

'He's gone through a lot of s*** in the last three years, and he's got every right to be frustrated and disappointed about it.'

Wilson took over for Rodgers after the future Hall of Famer tore his Achilles in Week 1, but was benched ahead of the team's Week 12 matchup with the Dolphins.

However, the Jets have since cut Tim Boyle, who started over Wilson for the last two games, and may go back to Wilson in the starting lineup - though he was 'reluctant' to take the field again according to The Athletic.

Rodgers has now rubbished that claim, saying the report tried to 'assassinate his character.'

'I will say this, when you have sources, right, and that's always an interesting thing,' he said. 'First of all, you can go down a whole rabbit hole with actual sources, made up sources, why is someone willing to be a source? 

'What are they gaining out of that? On and on and on, but when you use sources, and whether intentional or unintentional, try to assassinate someone's character, like that report does for Zach, I have a real hard time with that.'

'I mean, you're basically saying that this kid is quitting on the team and doesn't want to play and has given the middle finger to the organization,' he added.

Rodgers also hit out at the unnamed sources who spoke to The Athletic and said the Jets needed to 'get to the bottom' of where the leak was coming from.

'If that's journalism now, if you're going to use sources... whoever that person that thinks it's okay, number one to talk to anybody like that - I don't understand what you get out of that number one,' he said.

'But number two, what is your impetus, what is your motivation to try and bury someone like that? And that's a problem with the organization, you know, we need to get to the bottom of whatever this is coming from and put a stop to it privately. 

'Is that really what you want to be about? You want to be about using someone in the media to leak stuff to in order for what to get them to put your name out there for a job, or if you're a player to get you a write up? I think it's chicken s** at its core, and I think it has no place in a winning organization.'

Wilson, the second overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, has consistently struggled since he entered the league, though he has completed a career-high 59.2 percent of his passes this year.

The Jets are 4-6 with Wilson in the starting lineup this season (and also beat the Bills in Week 1 after he took over for Rodgers), and enter Week 14 with a 4-8 record.

However, Rodgers has insisted he could still return before the end of the season despite the Jets' playoff hopes fading, as the quarterback tries to shatter the typical timetable for an Achilles injury.

For now, however, Wilson may be the team's starting quarterback again, and Rodgers predicted that he'll address the team tomorrow.

'We're not gonna spend a ton of time with it,' he said. 'I would guess that Zach will probably say something to the team tomorrow. I would hope that if that's the case, it stays within the team.'

'We've all been a part of a team or an organization before - there are some things that are esoteric in nature - they're meant for a certain group of people. There are some conversations that are only meant for certain people and shouldn't leave the building. 

The Jets face the Texans this weekend.