Jets WR Wilson shares sly response to 49ers’ Ward after subtle diss

Jets WR Wilson shares sly response to 49ers’ Ward after subtle diss originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

With all the excitement that comes with Week 1 of a new NFL season, one specific matchup might be even more fun to watch when the 49ers host the New York Jets at Levi’s Stadium to open the 2024 campaign.

When 49ers Pro Bowl cornerback Charvarius Ward was asked how to pick off Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers during a May appearance on the “Up & Adams” show, his response caught the attention of Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson — and many others.

“You got to give him an opportunity,” Ward explained to Kay Adams. “I’m pretty sure I’ll probably be following Garrett Wilson around. That’s his name, right? He’s their big dog. I’m the big dog of [my] team. So we’re going to see.”

Two months later, Wilson addressed Ward’s remarks and shared a cryptic yet level-headed response.

“I saw it. It’s cool,” Wilson told reporters Wednesday after Jets training camp. “They’re right, frankly. It’s all good, I ain’t done nothing yet. I’m excited to have an opportunity to do it on them and get it rolling. That’s just how it is. Any opponent we play, that’s the mindset. They have a scouting report and they take their notes. They’re good at their job, too, so if that’s their analysis of me as a player, that’s fair. They’re entitled to their opinion.

“But I’m really just excited to get the opportunity to prove to the world what we can do here in New York and what I can do. Because I agree. I ain’t done nothing. I got to go prove to the world that I can be who I think I am. So I’m excited.”

Many can listen to Wilson’s comments and applaud his mature response.

But if you take a closer look, it might be a little deeper than that.

Was Wilson issuing a warning to Ward and the 49ers? Maybe not. But the 2022 NFL AP Offensive Rookie of the Year appeared to be delivering a public service announcement to the entire league with an eagerness to showcase his talent in his third NFL season.

While the 24-year-old receiver is looking forward to the Week 1 matchup, he isn’t the type of player to mark specific contests on his calendar — at least not physically.

“Nah I’m not,” he said. “Because if you got to get motivated like that, then what about the weekend nobody says your name? It’s cool though, I saw it. I’m not a whiteboard guy. But I got it in the mental whiteboard.”

This isn’t the only off-the-field extracurricular between Ward and a Jets player this offseason.

After the 49ers’ heartbreaking Super Bowl LVIII loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Ward responded to a post from Jets All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Is it Sept. 9 yet?

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