• I had a thought a few weeks ago about Aaron Rodgers. More than anything, it was something I’d noticed about him.
Obviously, the 39-year-old quarterback doesn’t appeal to everyone. That’s fine. A lot of us are like that. But what I picked up was that, for the most part, the people Rodgers has issues with are either on an even plane with him, or above him on the org chart. In other words, Rodgers has almost always punched up, and never really punched down—most of the trainers, the equipment people, and the support staff in Green Bay were good with him.
So I took the idea to Jets coach Robert Saleh a couple of weeks ago.
“A lot of people have asked me what surprises me most about Aaron, and I think it’s how thoughtful he is,” Saleh says. “I think when people think he punches up, it’s because he challenges [people]. He challenges people beneath him, too. In his mind, he’s just challenging. People who are in superior settings usually look at that as challenging [authority] rather than, . As far as I’m concerned, he’s been unbelievable. He’s got questions. He’s got thoughts. He’s got all the same things we all do.
“He’s willing to voice his opinion, and if you have an explanation from him, he’s good. A lot of the time he’ll be like, . I don’t think he’s got a malicious bone in his body. He’s a people person. His superpower is his ability to communicate and ask questions and relate to people. I think his thoughtfulness has been so much more than I ever anticipated.”
I witnessed a little bit of this the day I was at Jets camp, when Rodgers threw on a practice pinny and jumped in with trainers and strength coaches who were standing in as defensive players to give Zach Wilson and the second offense a quick look in a walkthrough period. At this point, it was nearly a month into camp—way past the point where someone of Rodgers’s stature would be doing that to fake it.
“He’s been doing it,” Saleh says. “He jumps in there. I think he enjoys the scout team. He wants to be a part of it. He’s like a little kid out there. He just wants to be a part of it and have fun. He’s been doing it since Day 1. He’ll jump in with the O-line in pre-practice walkthrough; he’ll jump in to be the linebacker. I was actually messing with him. I said I’ve been coaching in the NFL for almost 20 years and I’ve never heard the fans celebrate a defensive play ever, until he got an interception.”
Why am I explaining this now, on the day after Rodgers tore his Achilles?
For two reasons. One, it explains why the Jets will leave the light on for Rodgers in 2024, with a roster that looked fast, aggressive and stacked on Monday night. And two, it shows how much Rodgers likes being on a team, and around football, which is a window into who he is and why he might not want the last night of his playing career to be Monday.
So maybe the Jets–Rodgers saga still has another chapter to it.
• The Jets’ brass will meet Tuesday to discuss options at quarterback. At the very least, they’ll probably have to add depth.
Certainly, it’d make sense for them to at least check in with Matt Ryan, Philip Rivers and even Tom Brady. I’d put all three in the unlikely category for right now. After that, you’re looking at guys such as Carson Wentz and Nick Foles, both of whom were with Jets GM Joe Douglas for a few years in Philadelphia.
That’s why the likelihood remains that Zach Wilson is the Jets’ quarterback. And at the very least, he’s a guy who’s experienced with the players around him, working with a coach—Nathaniel Hackett—who has a ton of experience working with young quarterbacks.
