The New York Jets are hoping that they can get a full season out of Aaron Rodgers after his first year with the Jets was cut to just four snaps after he tore his Achilles.
But considering how dysfunctional things seem to be for the Jets, his second campaign with Gang Green might be derailed by a completely different kind of campaign altogether: a vice-presidential campaign.
Third-party presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told the New York Times that the 40-year-old future Hall-of-Famer is one of his two top choices — the other being former wrestler Jesse Ventura — to be his running mate for the 2024 Presidential Election, which is in November.
According to multiple reports, a decision has already been made and the Kennedy campaign will announce its selection for RFK Jr.’s running mate on March 26 in Oakland, CA, amNewYork has learned.
Of course, the 2024 NFL season will be near its halfway point by Election Day, and the Jets’ hopes of breaking a 14-year payoff drought rest solely on Rodgers’ arm. But Rodgers has reportedly expressed interest in the role during conversations with Kennedy — a candidate for whom the former Packer has shown support over the past few months given their stances on numerous stances including vaccines.
“This [announcement] will reaffirm the key principles of the Kennedy campaign of restoring the middle class, ending the chronic disease epidemic, unwinding the war machine, and unraveling corporate capture of our government agencies,” a release from the Kennedy campaign read.
There does not appear to be a tangible chance of Kennedy winning this election, which will be headlined by current President Joe Biden and Republican candidate and former President, Donald Trump. According to the HarrisX Poll via FiveThirtyEight.com, Kennedy is polling at 15% compared to Trump at 44% and Biden at 38%. However, one would think that Rodgers would have to at least present on the campaign trail leading up to Election Day 2024.
Rodgers, who is currently in Costa Rica with Miami Dolphins safety Jordan Poyer on an ayahuasca retreat, has not been available to comment on the matter. Such a role — regardless of how unlikely it is for Kennedy to win — would provide a significant pay cut for the quarterback. Rodgers is set to make over $38 million in 2024 playing football while the vice president makes $284,600 per year.
This really could only happen to the Jets: Their star quarterback could potentially miss time during a season with playoff aspirations to run for Vice President of the United States.
