Aaron Rodgers was missing from the New York Jets’ two-day mandatory minicamp last week. This led to all sorts of speculation as to the whereabouts of the 40-year-old future Hall-of-Fame quarterback.
NFL insider Albert Breer speculated that he could be on another Ayahuasca retreat. Breer confirmed that Rodger’s absence “would be expected” but that the Jets “could not excuse and maintain credibility with the locker room.” In other words, the Jets knew about Rodgers’ absence ahead of time but did not approve of it.
Rodgers is on vacation and the NFL world awaits his two cents again.
The Jets are not getting anything necessarily surprising out of Rodgers in this situation. If you were to poll a group of knowledgeable football fans and ask them “Which NFL quarterback do you think is missing for unknown reasons during minicamp?” the majority of answers would probably be Aaron Rodgers based on his track record.
Rodgers’ time with the Jets — as well as the end of his tenure with the Green Bay Packers — has been filled with head-scratching headlines. We are only a few months removed from Rodgers being considered as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ‘s running mate for the 2024 Presidential Election. Nothing is out of the realm of possibility.
After tearing his Achilles four snaps into his Jets debut on Monday Night Football in September 2023, Rodgers teased a potential return throughout the remainder of another frustrating Jets campaign, grabbing headlines all season long. Despite never making it back to full health by the end of the season, he remained in the news all season long. If it is possible, his first game in 2024 (also on Monday Night Football) will be even more anticipated than last year’s season opener.
Part of the reason Rodgers is so polarizing and easy to pay attention to is that he is one of a kind in the world of NFL quarterbacks. On the field, he is one of the most talented passers ever. But, more than any position in any other sport, quarterbacks have expectations off the field.
Historically speaking, fans want and expect their franchise player to represent the organization well and spend his free time trying to improve as a player. Whether or not those standards are fair or true for Rodgers, it is rare that headlines surrounding him are football-related. We seem to know and hear so much about the man, with the exception of his current whereabouts, that is.
However, any Jets fan would tell you that if this is what they have to put up with to finally get good quarterback play, they will take it. If this was any other fanbase cheering for Rodgers on Sundays, perhaps things would be different. But, the NFL offseason is long and removes fans from the surest thing in sports: winning cures all. It might be an offseason to avoid the tabloids for Jets fans. Some might even dislike Rodgers for his perceived antics, but if he leads them to a win on Sept. 9 in Santa Clara over the 49ers, all will be forgotten and forgiven. It’s the nature of the NFL.
The Jets believe Rodgers gives them a chance to win again. Right or wrong, this is what you get from him and the Jets seem prepared to put up with it. They are desperate to win, so you cannot fault them for being patient in uncharted territory with a quarterback who has a reputation for winning games. One thing is for certain: if Rodgers doesn’t deliver, it will get ugly.
