Jets' Aaron Rodgers reacts to harsh criticisms of Zach Wilson

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers believes everybody associated with the New York Jets should back the team amid harsh criticisms directed toward current starter Zach Wilson.

"...Let’s stay behind our guys," Rodgers campaigned during a Tuesday appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show," per Ryan Chichester of Audacy. "Let’s stick with our guys and have a little belief. As we saw this week, anybody can beat anybody. I’d like to see everybody stick together. Our fanbase, our former players, and our current players. Too much negativity, and the world is crashing down after three weeks. It’s a long season. There’s a lot of time, and a lot of things can happen. Let’s just take a couple breaths."

The Jets lost back-to-back games with Wilson starting in place of the injured Rodgers, who suffered a season-ending torn Achilles in Week 1. Most recently, Wilson heard boos from Jets fans during and after this past Sunday's 15-10 home loss to the New England Patriots that included the 24-year-old completing 18-of-36 passes for just 157 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. 

On Monday, former Jets quarterback and current "The NFL Today" analyst Boomer Esiason said during his WFAN morning show that the action is "moving too fast for" Wilson on gamedays. Esiason also suggested that noteworthy teammates such as star cornerback Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner feel that "we can’t win with" Wilson in the lineup. 

Hall of Famer and Jets legend Joe Namath then went viral on Monday afternoon when he said during a radio interview that he's "seen enough of Zach Wilson." Namath also blasted Jets head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas after Saleh confirmed Wilson will start when the Jets host the 2-1 Kansas City Chiefs this Sunday night. 

"We’re 1-2," Rodgers calmly remarked without directly telling fans to "r-e-l-a-x" during the final week of September. "Been a couple rough ones. Defense, we played good enough to win (this past Sunday's) game, for sure. At home, defense giving up 15 points, we gotta win that game." 

Rodgers and Wilson share a close bond, and the four-time NFL Most Valuable Player planned to mentor the 2021 first-round draft pick throughout this season before the situation changed on the night of Sept. 11. 

The veteran no longer can protect his buddy from opposing defenses or from franchise icons ripping a struggling signal-caller, so it's on the coaching staff to make life easier for Wilson in any way possible beginning with this Sunday's matchup.