New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh has taken aim at the "tired narrative" that Aaron Rodgers arrived with a wish-list of players he wanted to join him.
The Jets finally agreed a trade with the Green Bay Packers to land Rodgers last month after lengthy negotiations. They have also acquired four former Green Bay Packers - wide receivers Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb, quarterback Tim Boyle and offensive lineman Billy Turner - to join Rodgers.
Much has been made of the idea of Rodgers handing his new employers a list of players to sign - but Salah is not a fan of those suggestions. He defended signings who have previously played with Rodgers and pointed to the presence of former Packers offensive co-ordinator Nathaniel Hackett making same crossover inevitable.
"It's very common for new faces to want old faces, to come in and help accelerate the installation of an entire program," Saleh said. "Everything is pinned on the quarterback. It's not just him.
"[Offensive coordinator Nathaniel] Hackett has something to say about it. He loves Lazard. He loves Randall. He took Billy Turner with him to Denver, and he wanted him here. Of course, you're going to surround a coach with people who he feels like will plant the flag.
"That whole narrative - what people are trying to put on the quarterback - it's tired. It's common practice in the NFL."
Salah also heaped praise on the initial impact of Rodgers and the desire to win he has brought to the team.
"I've never been around a quarterback quite like him," Saleh said. "You see a fire in the guy's eye when you sit down and talk to him. He's coming here to win."
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Meanwhile, Rodgers and Randall Cobb have both been impressed by what they have seen from young receiver Garrett Wilson since arriving at the Jets.
Rodgers, said of Wilson on the Pat McAfee Show: "Obviously Garrett, you know, he’s a talented guy. I threw him a pass today and just kind of turned and was like, 'Wow.'
"His ability to kind of get in and out of his breaks… there's another [No.] 17 I played with for a long time who does it better than anybody. The explosiveness in and out of breaks, the 17 here, is pretty similar.”
And Cobb, who joined the Jets recently on a one-year deal, shares the same feeling as old pal Rodgers, likening Wilson to Adams, who is still regarded as one of the NFL's best wide receivers.
"Those two guys (Wilson and Aaron Rodgers) are special," Cobb said on Up and Adams. "Just watching G in practice and seeing the way he moves, he reminds me a lot of Emmanuel Sanders and Davante Adams - if you combine those two.
"I'm not saying he'll become that... but I have a lot of faith in watching him grow and he set a standard for himself this past year."
