It felt like a matter of time.
Tyler Conklin is a pass-catching tight end who’s been one of the Jets most dependable and productive pass catchers for the past two seasons.
A healthy Aaron Rodgers throwing him the ball this year figured to make those numbers bigger.
And yet Conklin entered Thursday night’s Jets home opener against the Patriots at MetLife Stadium with two receptions for 16 yards in the first two games.
Game 3 of the Jets season proved that two games was too small a sample size to determine where Conklin’s season is headed.
He caught five passes for 93 yards and was an integral part of the Jets’ 24-3 win over the Patriots.
Conklin’s lack of involvement in the passing game had been curious after he’d been such a consistent pass catcher the previous two seasons, catching 61 passes for 621 yards last season and 58 for 552 yards and four TDs in 2022.
“I’m not worried about that,’’ Conklin told The Post before the game of his low output so far. “Those things will come. I’m not worried about who’s getting the ball.’’
This was Conklin after the game: “What was I saying to you the other day? That they would eventually come. Today, they just happened to fly my way a little bit.’’
Conklin was Rodgers’ best friend on this night.
He was Rodgers’ outlet on several classic Rodgers improvisation plays, where he rolled out of the pocket and just found the open man.
He caught a 22-yarder on second-and-17 on the second scoring drive and another 22-yarder on third-and-9 late in the first half.
And then, on the first Jets scoring drive of the third quarter, he kept a drive alive with an 18-yard catch on third-and-three.
On the 18-yard gainer, Conklin had a look at the end zone and it looked like a large, inviting green pasture.
He didn’t score a TD last season and doesn’t have one since 2022.
“I’m still chasing,’’ Conklin said with a smile of ending his scoring drought. “That’s been a hard target to catch. I thought I had a chance, but I just kind of felt some guys around me so I wanted to make sure I secured the ball more than anything.
“There were a couple good opportunities where Aaron got out of the pocket,’’ Conklin went on. “I did my best to make myself available for him, and he made it pretty easy to catch the ball.
“I’m trying to be an all-around tight end and play well in the run game, which I think I’ve done. But it’s definitely really nice to go out there and feel the ball, get some touches in the pass game, kind of getting a groove and momentum forward for the rest of the season.’’
