Subscribe
Follow Us
It's a good thing that Aaron Rodgers is accustomed to isolating himself from his family, his friends, and the rest of the outside world, because if he weren't, it would've likely made this season with the New York Jets tremendously uncomfortable. New York is 4-12 after entering the season with 20/1 odds to win the Super Bowl, the tenth-best odds in the entire league, and frankly, the record isn't even as bad as the vibes within the organization have been.
We're talking about a team that was the first to fire their head coach this season, and that came just hours after their offensive coordinator was demoted. A team that made a desperate trade for a 31-year-old Davante Adams with hopes that it would save their season, but in turn, it may have done nothing more but strain the organization's relationship with their young star receiver Garrett Wilson. A team that gave the car keys to an old, moody and distant quarterback who is in the twilight of his career.
In the midst of what is arguably the most disappointing season in franchise history, Aaron Rodgers has been as disinterested in taking accountability for his actions, his bad body language, or his poor play — by typical Rodgers standards — throughout the year. And understandably, it's rubbed some of his teammates the wrong way.
“Privately, some teammates said they've noticed his body language when someone makes a bad play or misses an assignment,” writes Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. To be fair, it's not just bad body language. Rodgers publicly pointed the finger of blame at wide receiver Mike Williams after throwing a late-game interception against the Buffalo Bills back in Week 6 on a play in which Rodgers said Williams ran the wrong route. Within weeks, Williams was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“The Mike Williams red line saga was a tough look on his leadership,” former NFL quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick told ESPN. “He will take the blame in press conferences, but a lot of times it feels empty to me because of the field body language and eye rolls during the game.”
A diminished Aaron Rodgers quickly wore out his welcome in New York
It's easy to point to the Jets organization, one of the most dysfunctional of the 21st century, and say that Rodgers was walking into a no-win situation. But that would be revisionist history of what the expectations were when Rodgers was acquired by the Jets in April 2023. Rodgers vowed to deliver New York a second Super Bowl title, but instead, he'll depart with a lower winning percentage with the Jets (.294) than either Zach Wilson (.363) or Sam Darnold (.342), a pair of high draft pick flameouts who drew the ire of fans in New York for failing to live up to lofty post-Draft expectations.
One would think that the lack of success, or the achilles tear that ended his 2023 season after only four plays, would've humbled Rodgers. But it doesn't seem that this is the case. In fact, it seems that Rodgers has doubled-down on the weird, and become even more holier than thou than he was in Green Bay. And as Ryan Fitzpatrick explains, an arrogant and demonstrative Rodgers doesn't necessarily jive all that well in the locker room when his team isn't winning.
“His arrogance works for teammates when they're winning and can be infectious, and a positive, for the team,” Fitzpatrick said. “But it is hated by many that don't know him because it comes across as smug.”
While it's certainly a surprise that things have been this bad in New York, it's by no means shocking that Rodgers is being labeled as smug. He's carried that distinction with him, almost like a badge of honor, for a solid decade now, and maybe we were all foolish for thinking that even a season from hell in the biggest media market in the NFL would've changed that.
