Randall Cobb issues critical warning to Jets wide receivers regarding Aaron Rodgers

BOSTON -- There's a lot of hype surrounding the New York Jets right now. Understandably so. Aaron Rodgers may be 39 years old, but he's still one of the most talented quarterbacks to ever play the position. Inserting him onto a team with the reigning rookies of the year on both sides of the ball and surrounding him with some talented skill players is seemingly a recipe for great success.

That being said ... football is hard. And the addition of Rodgers isn't guaranteed to seamlessly work for the Jets. Veteran wide receiver Randall Cobb -- and longtime Rodgers confidante -- made sure to impart that wisdom onto his fellow receivers, in a moment early in this week's episode of "Hard Knocks."

At the conclusion of a practice, wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni spoke to his group and asked them to honestly assess how the day went. With nobody else speaking up, the 33-year-old Cobb took the floor.

"I was just talking to 12 -- or, 8," Cobb said, quickly correcting himself on Rodgers' new jersey number. "He was just telling me, you know, we had a lot of mistakes in our room today. And just basic stuff. Little things. Right? Like, we can't have that. And it's all cool right now, but I'm telling you -- one day he's gonna lose his [stuff]. It's gonna happen if it continues going the way it's going right now."

Cobb, who played with Rodgers in Green Bay from 2011-18 and then again over the past two years, warned the Jets' receiving corps what happens if the quarterback loses faith in his pass catchers.

"Because if he don't trust you, he's not gonna throw you the ball," Cobb said. "I can promise you that. If he don't trust you -- he does not like throwing interceptions -- so if he can't trust that you're gonna run the right route, he's not gonna throw it. It's just a matter of time."

That moment showed why Cobb is on the Jets, as he knows Rodgers perhaps better than anyone else in the league. And he's seen a number of young receivers come through Green Bay, with some of them connecting with Rodgers and others having a rather difficult time jelling with the QB.

Of course, the receiver most important to the Jets is Garrett Wilson, who remarkably won the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award despite having Zach Wilson, Joe Flacco and Mike White as his quarterbacks. Entering year two, Wilson has to adapt to Rodgers. But based on Rodgers' comments to retired receiver Braylon Edwards during the episode, the young receiver has already stood out on the practice field.

"Special. He's so [bleeping] quick. I'm like, missing him wrong shoulder. He gets out of his breaks so damn quick," Rodgers said of Wilson. "Yeah, he's special."

Clearly, Wilson has made a strong first impression on his new quarterback. But based on Cobb's words of warning to the receiving group, there's still a lot of work to be done if the Jets are to live up to the growing expectations being placed upon them around the football world.