Handfuls of critics and analysts have called quarterback Aaron Rodgers a “distraction,” “selfish” and “self-centered” for a variety of reasons throughout his tenure with the New York Jets that began in April 2023.
During a Tuesday appearance on New York sports radio station WFAN, Jets running back Breece Hall opened up about Rodgers’ reputation and his working relationship with the future Hall of Famer.
“Just knowing how much he values his teammates and this brotherhood we have, you get a whole different outlook on him,” Hall said about Rodgers, as Ryan Chichester of Audacy shared. “Just being around him and knowing how much he values us and his relationship with us, and knowing the high standard he holds himself to.”
Rodgers played just four meaningful snaps before he went down with a season-ending Achilles tear in New York’s Week 1 win last September. Since then, the 40-year-old has routinely generated headlines for sharing conspiracy theories during interviews, for his links to independent 2024 presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his decision to skip the Jets’ two-day mandatory minicamp in June so he could travel to Egypt.
On Tuesday, Rodgers made it clear that he understands fans expect the 2024 Jets to, at the very least, end what’s become the longest active playoff drought in the four major North American sports leagues. Hall indicated others inside the locker room have taken Rodgers’ messages to heart.
“He holds us to that same standard,” Hall continued. “That just gets us to become closer with each other and expect more from each other to uphold that standard of us wanting to be great together. It’s brought us closer together. Knowing that he’s like that, it just ties us all into that. That’s the standard now.”
As of Wednesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Jets at -175 betting odds to make the playoffs with Rodgers fully recovered from the Achilles injury. If Gang Green fails to “uphold that standard,” Jets owner Woody Johnson could part ways with general manager Joe Douglas and head coach Robert Saleh, regardless of what Rodgers would think about such a decision.
Rodgers has suggested he wants to give the Jets a minimum of two full seasons as an active QB1 but likely realizes his play and health will ultimately determine if Douglas and Saleh are with the organization at this time next year.
