LONDON – A look at what’s happening around the New York Jets:

1. Adams, the role model? Watching from a distance, former NFL receiver Randall Cobb knows exactly what Garrett Wilson is experiencing: the growing pains of receiver and quarterback with Aaron Rodgers. Cobb saw it a few years ago with Rodgers and Davante Adams, when all three were teammates with the Green Bay Packers.

Cobb, Wilson’s teammate last season, believes the young receiver would benefit from the Jets acquiring Adams from the Las Vegas Raiders.

Reports surfaced on Wednesday that Adams has the Jets and New Orleans Saints at the top of his wish list, and the Jets are believed to be interested.

“I think this would be a great example for Garrett to see and understand,” Cobb said in a phone interview. “I know (Adams) has been through a lot of the same things that Garrett is feeling now. Luckily for Tae, he didn’t have to be ‘the man’ when he came into the league. He was able to mature and learn and grow and step into who he is now.”

Wilson was the man in his first two seasons, producing 1,000-yard seasons, but his chemistry with Rodgers can best be described as a work in progress. That was illustrated last week in the fourth quarter, when Wilson ran a deep seam instead of breaking off his route, which Rodgers expected. The result was an ugly incompletion and a stunned Rodgers, based on his body language.

Cobb called Wilson, who has 191 yards on 20 catches and one touchdown on the season, an “incredible talent.”

“(Wilson) is up there with the best of them,” Cobb said. “Aaron is a different person to play with; there’s just an expectation. Garrett is still young in this league, and there’s still so much for him to learn in terms of football IQ.

“You think about a guy like Davante and where he is now. He had growing pains too. It’s not like Garrett isn’t going to get there. Hopefully sooner or later it’s in the Jets’ best interest, but it takes time.” It takes time for that connection to be made.”

Rodgers and Adams had a magical bond from 2014 to 2021, racking up 7,529 yards and 68 touchdowns. Rodgers has just three touchdown passes to his current wide receivers, an even number in his team’s first four games since becoming a starter in 2008 (not counting last year when he was injured four plays into the season-ending opener). .

The Jets see a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they don’t take advantage of explosive plays. Their yards per attempt against humans is 6.3, which ranks 18th. Adams is great against man, and acquiring Adams could help with that.

Wilson, who said it would be “cool” to acquire Adams, believes better days are ahead in terms of his production.

“We’re going to find out,” Wilson said. “We’re going to work on it and make sure we finish better than we started. That’s what matters.”

2. Lots of bargaining chips: General manager Joe Douglas made a sneaky good move on draft day that could help the Jets in their pursuit of Adams. Douglas traded a 2024 fourth-round pick to the Detroit Lions for a 2025 third-round pick. It gives them two third-round picks, along with their own first- and second-round picks.

They have the ammo and cap space to enter the Adams sweepstakes. Now it depends on trade compensation and cash. Presumably, the Jets could try to get the Raiders to absorb some of Adams’ remaining salary ($13.5 million).

3. Sam’s Club: On Sunday, the Jets will face the quarterback they once built their hopes and dreams around: 2018 No. 3 pick Sam Darnold, who they traded in 2021. Darnold, on his fourth team, has revived his career with the Minnesota Vikings (4-0).

Looking back on the trade, their choice was to go with Darnold – talented, but inconsistent – or start over with a rookie. Everyone knows how it turned out — they selected Zach Wilson, whom they drafted No. 2 overall — but it wasn’t an easy decision. There was some sentiment within the organization to keep Darnold and trade the pick, using the premium to address multiple needs. Douglas even admitted he was toying with the idea of ​​keeping Darnold and drafting a quarterback.

Ultimately, the Jets wanted the benefit of a rookie quarterback contract. They also fell in love with Wilson, which turned out to be a fateful decision. It certainly won’t be a good idea for Douglas, Saleh & Co. when Darnold comes to chase them in London on Sunday.

“He’s playing crazy right now,” defensive tackle Quinnen Williams said of his former teammate.

Darnold found himself in a quarterback-friendly environment, where he learns from (ironically) two former Jets quarterbacks: coach Kevin O’Connell and quarterbacks coach Josh McCown. Jets cornerback DJ Reed raved about O’Connell, calling him the best playcaller in the league.

3a. Postscript: By the way, the Jets did something good with one of the picks they acquired in the Darnold trade: a 2022 second-round pick, which they converted into running back Breece Hall.

4. Cash: It seemed like an insignificant transaction at the time, but it became an important footnote in Jets history.

In 2022, Douglas traded linebacker Blake Cashman to the Houston Texans for a sixth-round pick in 2023. That Douglas found a taker for an oft-injured backup seemed like a minor miracle.

Fast forward to April 2023. Douglas sent that pick to the Packers as part of the package that brought Rodgers to New York.

Let’s fast forward again. On Sunday, Cashman will try to tackle Rodgers. You see, he’s the Vikings’ leading tackler. He signed with his hometown Vikings after a successful run in Houston.

5. Ready… ready… huh? All eyes (and ears) will be watching Rodgers’ cadence and whether the offense can stay offside. Last week the Jets committed five false start penalties, almost unheard of for a home team. They controlled it for three games and then returned to their 2023 yips: 52 pre-snap penalties, second-most in the league, according to NFLpenalties.com.

It’s a poor reflection on the team’s ability to concentrate, which many say is an indictment on the coaching. Saleh said the coaches met “extensively” to discuss the matter, and came up with a plan to “clear the players’ minds” so they can concentrate better. That’s one way of putting it; another way is to remove hesitation by giving them confidence in what they are doing.

6. What did he do? The most notable aspect of the false starts was that tackle Tyron Smith was one of the culprits – a rarity. He was one of the least penalized linemen in recent years and was responsible for just three false starts in the previous five seasons, all with the Dallas Cowboys. Welcome to the Jets.

7. No Push Up Fan: Some coaches will resort to unconventional methods to address a penalty problem. More than ten years ago, former coach Rex Ryan turned it into an organizational crusade. When a player committed a penalty during training, everyone (players, coaches, ball boys, office staff) would do push-ups on the spot. Even Jets owner Woody Johnson did push-ups.

Saleh does not believe in that method.

“They want to be treated like men,” Saleh said. “They already know they messed up. They don’t need to be ashamed. They need to know how to correct it, and I don’t think doing push-ups teaches anyone how to correct it.”

8. Did you know? The defense has allowed just 61 and 60 passing yards in the last two games, the first time in franchise history they’ve held opponents under 75 on back-to-back.

9. A trend no one is talking about: Traditionally a zone-based defense under Saleh and coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, the Jets are now using man-to-man at the third-highest rate (54%), according to Next Gen Stats. They are blitzing more than in the past, in part to make up for their defensive line deficit (Jermaine Johnson’s season-ending Achilles injury and Haason Reddick’s staying power).

10. The Last Word: “There is no cadence problem. There has never been a cadence problem. It was created (by the media).” — Saleh