Garrett Wilson is hoping to see Aaron Rodgers on Sunday night.
Amid an ESPN report that the future Hall of Fame quarterback could make his return to the area for the game against the Chiefs, the Jets’ young receiver believes it would be beneficial for the team just to see him in person.
“That would be awesome, as good of a football mind as he is, to have him around the team,” Wilson said Friday. “For someone like me, to be able to bounce my thoughts off of, see what he’s thinking.
“To have him around, the aura, the energy he comes with, it’s priceless. As soon as we can get him back, his presence will be felt. I hope it is this weekend.”
Rodgers ruptured his left Achilles tendon in the Jets’ opener on Sept. 11, prematurely ending his season.
He underwent surgery that week and was spotted on Thursday on crutches instead of a walking boot. He has said he would like to return once he was able to walk.
That appears to be the case now, though coach Robert Saleh said he is uncertain of the timeline for Rodgers being back.
“I would love to have him back, but whenever it is safe for him to travel,” Saleh said.
On Tuesday’s “Pat McAfee Show” on ESPN, Rodgers hinted at the possibility.
“You never know who you’re going to see at the game,” he said
After missing Week 1, defensive end Carl Lawson has been a non-factor in the past two games, registering just 38 snaps and three tackles.
Saleh attributed his limited usage to the emergence of second-year player Jermaine Johnson.
“Carl is still a big, big part of this thing,” Saleh said. “He is coming back from that back injury and just starting to get his legs underneath him. He missed, darn near a month, but little by little he has been getting his legs underneath him, he is looking faster, he is looking more explosive. So hopefully he will hit a stride here soon.”
Saleh is hopeful that safety Tony Adams (hamstring) and offensive lineman Wes Schweitzer (concussion) will return for next Sunday’s game against the Broncos. Both were ruled out as expected for this Sunday.
The Chiefs will be without starting linebacker Nick Bolton (ankle).
Johnson clearly isn’t scared of Patrick Mahomes. In fact, the young defensive end believes the Jets are ready for the two-time MVP.
“We got something for him,” Johnson told Jets in-house reporter Eric Allen. “We got something for him.”
Mahomes is off to a strong start, having thrown seven touchdown passes and completing 65.5 percent of his passes.