Maybe Aaron Rodgers doesn’t make all the decisions around the Jets.
He has faced criticism after the Jets activated him to the 53-man roster so that he can practice with the team for the rest of the season, despite ending his attempt to return from a torn Achilles.
That decision meant popular fullback Nick Bawden had to be cut to make room for Rodgers, though Bawden was signed back to the practice squad.
Rodgers claimed Tuesday on “The Pat McAfee Show” that he intended to go on injured reserve, but the Jets decided to activate him against his wishes.
“I assumed I was gonna go on IR. I asked to be put on IR,” Rodgers said during his weekly appearance on the ESPN show. “There was a conversation ‘do you want to practice,’ and I said ‘not at the expense of somebody getting cut.’ I know how this works. I didn’t feel like I needed to practice to continue my rehab. I could do on-the-field stuff on the side.
“But obviously I got overruled there, maybe it is what it is. That was an interesting situation. I called Nick right away, just said ‘I hope you know this isn’t coming from me. I asked them to put me on IR.’”
Much of the criticism revolved around the fact that Rodgers might be taking money away from Bawden.
But since Bawden, a three-year veteran, was on the roster to start the season, his salary for the season is guaranteed.
Head coach Robert Saleh confirmed that Rodgers wanted to go on IR, claiming that he and general manager Joe Douglas made the decision to activate him.
“He expressed concern about taking somebody else’s roster spot,” Saleh said. “But we had roster flexibility and the ability to [activate him], so we did.”
Rodgers later railed against his critics, claiming they are the same people who criticized his decision not to be vaccinated for COVID-19.
“Before they talk, let’s go back to 2021 and let’s make people say their vax status to start,” Rodgers said. “That’ll frame all these comments in the right window. Before they say something, let’s have them say, and ESPN is probably going to shut us off here, let’s have them say ‘hey, I’m so-and-so, double vaxxed with Pfizer and triple boosted, and my opinion is this guy is a bad guy because he just wanted to practice and took money away.’
“At least then you’d know, and everybody would know at that point, they have their puppet masters who are puppeteering them to say this certain thing about this guy, and they’re still upset about the fact that I believe in medical freedom. It’s the same tired narrative.”
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