The interview with Aaron Rodgers on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday seemed to elicit a response from people everywhere … well, almost everywhere.
One place where Rodgers’ rant on Jimmy Kimmel, COVID and Dr. Anthony Fauci only elicited a shrug was One Jets Drive.
Though many people believe the Jets should “shut down Rodgers” or tell him to stop talking about non-football topics, the Jets have no issues with Rodgers’ weekly appearance on McAfee. From speaking to people inside the organization on the topic several times, the sense around the Jets is that none of what Rodgers says on McAfee has an effect on the team or the organization. Though it may be the talk around the water cooler at your office, it is not a hot topic in Florham Park.
If you disagree with Rodgers, you may look at this and say what he is doing is a poor reflection on the Jets. But Rodgers is such a big star that he supersedes who his employer happens to be. Did you look at the Packers any differently when Rodgers was floating his opinions as a player there or did you just chalk them up to it as Aaron being Aaron?
Rodgers is about as polarizing a figure as there is in sports, and that is only accentuated right now because he has only thrown one pass in a Jets uniform and has yet to lead them on a touchdown drive or to a win. Once Rodgers is back in uniform and playing quarterback at a high level, the tolerance for his views will be higher, even by those who disagree with him.
Inside the team, there are those who applaud Rodgers for having the guts to challenge the mainstream media. There are plenty of people who agree with his view on COVID and vaccines but would never say so publicly out of fear of the backlash.
Though they are not against him speaking out, there probably is some relief inside of the team offices that Rodgers won’t be back on McAfee for a while after Tuesday’s appearance. He is expected to be back on the show next year, where he surely will make more headlines.
As for Rodgers’ teammates, most of them don’t even know who Kimmel is or pay attention to what Rodgers says. For them, it is about what he can do on a football field and what they have seen from him inside the locker room.
Jets players spoke glowingly about what they saw from Rodgers on the practice field over the last few weeks as he ran the scout team against the defense. Rodgers is the key to the Jets turning things around in 2024, and everyone knows that and embraces it. Rodgers’ views on RFK Jr. don’t really matter to guys who just want someone who can avoid sacks and throw touchdown passes.
“I promise you. I don’t think anyone really cares about — inside these walls, his teammates — no one cares about the McAfee Show,” coach Robert Saleh said during “The Michael Kay Show” on Monday. “I think that’s more just noise for the outside world. But just the things in here, and the things that we need to do better as an organization, as players, as coaches, all of us, in terms of stop sweating the small stuff, and let’s worry about winning football games.”
Rodgers has endeared himself to his teammates and Jets staffers. He has been engaged since arriving in April. The natural comparison for Rodgers since the trade from Green Bay has been Brett Favre, who was traded from the Packers to the Jets in 2008.
Favre felt like a hired gun when he was here. He never seemed invested in the team and was rarely in the locker room. He instead spent most of his time in an office near the equipment room.
Rodgers, on the other hand, consistently sits at his locker and chats with teammates. He went out to dinner and went to plays and sporting events with teammates during the spring and summer. Many of the young Jets relish the attention they receiver from the future Hall of Famer.
So, though many people would like to see the Jets tell Rodgers to shut up, it isn’t happening. The honeymoon may be over for Rodgers and the Jets, but the marriage remains strong, and Rodgers’ world views and the way he expresses them is not changing that.
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