Aaron Rodgers targeted Garrett Wilson 22 times in the game against the Vikings. Guess how many passes the receiver caught? Wilson had 13 receptions and a touchdown that he scored on a one-yard pass in the final quarter. And do you know this did break a record?

It was the most passes thrown to a Jets receiver in a game since at least 1997, surpassing WR Dedric Ward’s 20 targets (for 8 catches, 147 yards, and a TD on Christmas Eve 2000 at Baltimore), and the most in the NFL since 2015. Does this sudden utility of Wilson reek of desperation? But it’s not just the Vikings game, though.

Through 5 weeks, Garrett Wilson has been Rodgers’ go-to. Even Allen Lazard didn’t have that many receptions. To that end, people are conspiring that Wilson was a pawn in the game between Aaron Rodgers and Robert Saleh. So what’s the source of this supposed power struggle? Per TJ Lang, Rodgers’ former teammate, Saleh might have been skeptical of bringing Davante Adams in, and it didn’t sit well with A-Rod.

Aaron Rodgers’ “power struggle” might have cost Robert Saleh

The risky passes Rodgers threw against the Vikings led to three interceptions and two of those came in the first quarter. It has never happened in the 4x MVP’s career, ever. Per the former NFL guard, Lang, the Jets QB chucked those passes out of spite, just to show Saleh how much the Jets need Davante Adams.

“He’s throwing the [pigskin] in half a second, he’s not buying time anymore, he’s just dropping back and chucking it. I think that was kind of like maybe Saleh didn’t want to bring in Davante, maybe he felt that way. And this might be conspiracy path here, but maybe that kind of looked like a game that was like, ‘Oh, you don’t want Davante? Okay, watch this. Watch, I’m going to show you how much we need him.’ I don’t think it was, but that’s what it looked like,” Lang said on The Valenti Show with Rico.

But there are more conspiracy theories to be unfolded here, so get your tin foil hats out. Rico thinks Woody Johnson fired Saleh to get his hands on Bill Belichick or Mike Vrabel. But Bill Belichick is a far-fetched guess, don’t you think? Given the animosity that the 8x Super Bowl-winning coach harbors towards the Jets, he might never join hands with Gang Green. However, this is the NFL and stranger things have happened.

There’s no doubt that A-Rod and 1-7s chemistry is off the charts. They played 8 seasons together for the Green Bay Packers. In his last three healthy seasons with Rodgers in Packers’ jersey, Adams finished with at least 100 receptions, 1,000 yards, and 11 touchdowns. In fact, Rodgers was a back-to-back MVP because he had Davante Adams as his receiver. Adams himself also expressed his desire to join hands with Rodgers once again.

“If I’m gonna be reunited with anybody, it would be Aaron,” Adams had said on Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast. Rodgers also seemed to be interested in playing with receivers he was familiar with from his time in Green Bay. Lazard was brought into the Jets for the same reason. Meanwhile, leading up to Week 5, Rodgers and Wilson have struggled to get in sync.

Wilson has caught 58.9% of his targets this season. On the other hand, Adams averaged catching 75% of his targets through his final two seasons with Rodgers in Green Bay. Despite pulling off his best performance with Rodgers against the Vikings, Rogers has been critical.

After playing three games this season, Rodgers said, “The entire focus of all three defenses we’ve played has been taking Garrett away.” This might imply that Rodgers is looking for a new, reliable receiver. Notably, Adams’ addition could have provided the Jets with a dynamic duo.

It would have been comparable to Philadelphia’s AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith, Miami’s Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, and San Francisco’s Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. While Rodgers’ fans are thinking about Saleh’s firing, they might want to check on another thing the former coach was trying to achieve.

Robert Saleh was trying to change the NY Jets

Some reports suggest that the former Jets HC didn’t participate in offensive meetings and left it all to A-Rod and his buddy Nathaniel Hackett. However, Saleh decided to change his ways this year. Per Dianna Russini, the former Jets HC was eyeing Eric Bieniemy (now UCLAs OC), Kliff Kingsbury (now Commanders OC), Luke Getsy (Raiders OC), and Arthur Smith (presently Steelers OC). Sadly, those efforts were in vain.

Saleh also tried to fire Nathaniel Hackett, but the latter beat him to it and got demoted instead. Now Todd Downing will call plays under Jeff Ulbrich. However, the fact still remains that Saleh was 20-36 in the Jets stint and traded multiple quarterbacks. Amidst all the chaos and question marks, Rodgers tried to turn the situation around by taking the blame on himself.

“We all feel terrible about the opportunity that we had, that we squandered that led to Robert getting fired and Hack getting demoted. If I play better, this doesn’t happen,” Aaron Rodgers said. “If we’re better on offense, this doesn’t happen. I think it puts a spotlight on us. Now it’s on us to do this. We need to be accountable to each other, and we’ve got to raise the level of play to the standard that we set during training camp.”

He believes a “parallel universe” exists where he made all the right throws, and the Jets are 4-1. In that universe, Robert Saleh didn’t get fired. But this is not quantum physics, this is football. Saleh’s defense was considered one of the best in the league and now, he’s not there. However, the Super Bowl-winning QB thinks he can make something out of the 12 remaining games. But most importantly, A-Rod has his eyes set on the game against the Bills. If they win against Josh Allen, the Jets will be at the top of their division. But, can it happen?