Aaron Rodgers is pushing for a little-used Jets wide receiver to get more involved in the offense. And Irv Charles, already a force for the Jets on special teams but seldom used as a receiver, doesn’t have to look far in the locker room to see how that could be very good news for him.
Back in 2019, Allen Lazard was a roster bubble receiver for the Packers before Rodgers made a public push — multiple times — for him to get an opportunity. That worked out pretty well for Lazard, who caught 20 touchdowns in Green Bay over the next four seasons, followed Rodgers to New Jersey with a contract that included $22 million guaranteed.
So it raised eyebrows Wednesday when Rodgers was asked a question about the opportunity ahead of rookie wide receiver Malachi Corley, after the Jets traded Mike Williams to the Steelers earlier this week. and he made a point of pivoting his answer to highlight what this opening could mean for Charles.
“I’d love to see Irv get a chance, too,” Rodgers said. Irv does so much for us. He’s a super unselfish guy, absolute menace on special teams, but he had a nice training camp at receiver, so I’d love to see him get some opportunities as well.”
Those opportunities are likely already in the works as the Jets prepare for Sunday’s matchup with the Cardinals in Arizona. And any opportunity would be a massive uptick for Charles, who has played only five offensive snaps this season (while racking up 153 snaps on special teams).
Charles could definitely fill a need for the Jets, especially with the 6-foot-4 Williams getting ready to make his Steelers debut and the 6-5 Lazard on injured reserve with a chest injury and set to miss at least the next two games. He’ll be eligible to come back when the Jets host the Seahawks in Week 13, after their bye.
Charles, who stands 6-4, is the only big framed receiver on the roster right now. With Davante Adams (6-1) and Garrett Wilson (6-0) next in line. In training camp, Charles showed a knack for making acrobatic catches, going after the ball with the same controlled intensity that has made him the unquestioned leader of the special teams unit. He also had a penchant for mixing in a few drops, but that isn’t exactly disqualifying for Jets receivers at the moment — the Jets have 20 drops, the fourth most in the NFL, through the first nine games of the season according to Stathead.
To say Charles has been uninvolved in the offense would be an understatement. He‘s been targeted twice in the regular season (once in 2023, and once this year) in his NFL career and played just 43 offensive snaps last year. Over the last three seasons, he‘s had just So no one can be quite sure what he can bring to the table.
But he might be about to learn what he’s capable of with Rodgers throwing him the ball.
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