AFC Notes: Tyreek Hill, Zach Wilson, Dolphins, Jets, Patriots

“I will break 2,000 yards next year, bro,” Hill noted on his It Needed To Be Said podcast. “I’m just checking it off my bucket list. All I’m going to say is 2,000 yards was on my bucket list to get before I leave this league. Do you all think the Cheetah gonna leave without doing something he promised himself he was going to do as a kid? 2,000 yards and another Super Bowl. We’re getting that. Believe that.”

“I feel like I’ve got the right tools around me,” Hill said. “I’ve got obviously the most accurate quarterback in the NFL, I’ve got one of the best head coaches in the NFL and also my position coach is a monster also. So just having those three things and me just keeping the same mindset each and every day that I want to get better, and I want to break the record and I do want to break the record. So, I feel like this is one of those years that I can achieve it.”

Jets

It was obvious to everyone, including the Jets, that QB Zach Wilson wasn’t the player they thought they were getting with the No. 2 overall pick, and that they needed an upgrade. Hence the trade for QB Aaron Rodgers. But the Jets haven’t quite yet given up on the idea of Wilson being a contributor for them down the road with the chance to learn behind Rodgers for a year or two. And for his part, Rodgers seems to be embracing that mentorship role. 

“I have a lot of love for him and even more respect for the way that he’s handled things and made me feel welcomed and important and also just been in my hip pocket learning,” Rodgers said via NJ.com’s Andy Vasquez. “A ton of questions in the locker room, in the meeting room, after hours, but I love that because I feel like that’s a big part of my role here is to not just play at a super high level for this team and help us win, but to make sure he’s ready when his time comes.”

The chance to take a step back into a reserve role also seems to be suiting Wilson well, along with the new coaching staff led by OC Nathaniel Hackett.

“Right now I’m having a ton of fun, more fun than I’ve had,” Wilson said. “I feel like every day there’s so much to learn. … It’s like every day, wow, I just learned 10 different things about the QB position.”

Wilson was asked specifically what he likes about the new offensive coaching staff after the team moved on from OC Mike LaFleur this offseason. 

“Just from a trust aspect, of just buying into what they are saying,” Wilson said. “I’m learning a lot … and I’m really enjoying those guys really knowing what they’re talking about and it’s very refreshing and fun for us.”

Patriots

• Per Jeremy Fowler, the Patriots stayed in contact with Titans WR DeAndre Hopkins during his time as a free agent yet did not offer a similar financial package to what Hopkins received in Tennessee.