The Jets knew what they were signing up for when they sent a package of draft picks to Green Bay 14 months ago in exchange for Aaron Rodgers.
The move was made in hopes of solving the quarterback riddle that has perplexed this team for decades. They acquired a four-time MVP who is one of the most gifted passers in the history of the NFL.
But Rodgers does not come without some baggage. OK, he comes with more baggage than a trans-Atlantic flight. There are the appearances on “The Pat McAfee Show.” The conspiracy theory podcasts. His outspokenness on COVID vaccines. His desire to voice his opinion on everything from Vladimir Putin to UFOs. His flirtation with running for vice president.
As the kids would say, he’s a lot.
That popped up again Tuesday when Jets coach Robert Saleh walked behind a microphone just before 11 a.m. and announced Rodgers would be skipping the team’s mandatory minicamp.
“He had an event that was very important to him, which he communicated,” Saleh said.
Saleh went on to say that the absence was unexcused and Rodgers was subject to fines under the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. The Jets can dock him around $50,000 if they choose to.
Look, Rodgers missing two practices in June is not going to have any effect on how many games the 2024 Jets win. But it is the optics of the situation. There are 31 other teams with their starting quarterbacks at minicamp. Rodgers has embraced being all-in with the Jets since the trade and this is the first sign that something else is more important.
It is also just another part of the “Aaron Rodgers Experience” in which he creates more headlines than a tabloid editor.
And here’s the rub for the Jets: They have gone through every part of the AR Experience except for the part on the field. He has yet to complete a pass that counts for the Jets. He has yet to throw a touchdown. He has yet to lead them to a comeback victory. Instead, they’ve gotten all the baggage and none of the brilliance. There have been a whole lot of podcasts but no points. Joe Rogan has had a better connection with Rodgers than Garrett Wilson. His name has been mentioned more with RFK this offseason than with AVT.
Tuesday was a reminder of what life without Rodgers is like for the Jets. There was a sense of déjà vu with a quarterback wearing No. 2 missing receivers in the end zone, unable to get his team a touchdown. This was not Zach Wilson, who now resides in Denver. Instead, it was Tyrod Taylor who was sailing passes over receivers’ heads during a red zone drill. Taylor is an upgrade over Wilson at backup quarterback, but Taylor is still very much a backup quarterback and the Jets will be in trouble if he has to play extended time this season.
The Jets desperately need to get the other side of the AR Experience when September arrives. Rodgers gave a speech at the end of last season about ending all of the BS inside the Jets building and only focusing on winning. When asked about the podcasts and RFK, Rodgers said that was offseason stuff.
“Once the season starts, it’s all about football,” Rodgers said.
It better be and he better produce for the Jets, who have endured 14 months of everything that surrounds Rodgers without the winning.
If Rodgers comes out in September and is throwing highlight passes that help the Jets win games, no one is going to remember these two days in June when he chose to be somewhere else rather than practice.
It’s time for Rodgers to deliver more for the Jets than just sideshows and brush fires to put out.
