The Green Bay Packers‘ decision to trade Aaron Rodgers this past offseason was one of the biggest storylines in the NFL. Rodgers’ newfound dedication to practicing and working out with his new team, the New York Jets, garnered headlines for weeks. As the Jets prepared for the 2023 NFL season, talk of them making the Super Bowl with Rodgers under center dominated sports talk shows.
Unfortunately for Rodgers and the Jets, though, their long-awaited Super Bowl run lasted just four offensive snaps. The four-time MVP and future Hall of Famer tore his Achilles in New York’s first game of the season against the Buffalo Bills.
Typically, the timeline for coming back from a torn Achilles is about a year. Rodgers, however, insisted that he would be able to come back at the end of the 2023 NFL season. He welcomed the doubters, raged against modern medicine, and teased dates for his return to the field. And the Jets bought into all of it.
New York designated Rodgers for return from injured reserve. When Rodgers recently revealed that it would be physically impossible for him to return, and that it was never really all that realistic, the Jets still made room for him on the 53-man roster, a move that cost another player his job.
Aaron Rodgers Received a Great Deal of Criticism for Misleading the New York Jets
When Rodgers revealed on The Pat McAfee Show that he would not be coming back, it was met with little surprise. When the Jets decided to keep him on the 53-man roster, Rodgers was met with a great deal of criticism. In typical Rodgers fashion, though, he passed the blame onto someone else, saying that it was New York, not him, who made that decision.
While Jets head coach Robert Selah confirmed Rodgers’ account, it has not stopped criticism from being thrown Rodgers’ way. The fact of the matter is that Rodgers did everything he could this season to remain a fixture in the headlines, despite not being on the field. He has said whatever he needs to say to ensure that he is still one of the main topics on talk shows, in articles, and other media productions.
Former Green Bay Packers Wide Receiver Says This is Who Aaron Rodgers Is
Packers14 Spt Sieu
Former Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings has made headlines before for his criticism of Aaron Rodgers’ demeanor and leadership style. Now an analyst on FS1, Jennings talked about the complicated person that Rodgers is, that while he is a great player, he is also a narcissist:
“Aaron Rodgers understands the big picture. But what’s in the center of that picture is always him.”
— @GregJennings on Rodgers saying Jets ‘overruled’ his IR decision: pic.twitter.com/pA0zyABYvE
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) December 27, 2023
“This entire time, all he talked about was coming back. Never once did it cross his mind that him coming back would cost someone else a roster spot? I find that very hard to believe. Aaron is, if nothing else, he understands big picture. But what’s in the center of that picture is always him.
“And when I say it, it’s like I’m just trying to attack Aaron, but this is true. A couple of things can be true. He can be very narcissistic, but he can also be a very great football player. Both are true! We understand that!
“But the one that we are looking at now is acting as though he didn’t sell us the idea of him coming back of his injury, of him playing this season, him making it all about his recovery because this team wasn’t even good enough to make the postseason.
“So all of our attention was focused on him, this entire season has been about Aaron Rodgers and he’s been hurt. Like, he is a great player. I played with the guy, I won a Super Bowl with this man. Unbelievable talent at quarterback. You win with him. You are better because of him.
“But also what can be true is that he is an individual who thinks about himself.”
After watching Rodgers’ last three years in Green Bay, it is hard to disagree with what Jennings is saying. And now that it is happening in a bigger market, more and more people are realizing what Jennings said to be true: while Rodgers is a great player, he is always looking out for himself and wants the attention that he feels his talent and standing deserve.
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