By this level, you’ve in all probability heard the information that Aaron Rodgers is unlikely to return to the New York Jets subsequent season.
What you may not have heard is that new head coach Aaron Glenn informed Rodgers that if he wished to play for Gang Inexperienced, he would want to ditch his standard, weekly look on ESPN’s Pat McAfee Present.
In response to the Athletic’s Dianna Russini on her “Scoop City” podcast, the Jets beforehand informed Rodgers that, if he returns, he has to ditch the weekly look with McAfee. In addition they knowledgeable him that he was required to attend all offseason actions—no extra ayahuasca retreats.
So the Jets actually went forward and drew a line within the sand with Rodgers. Exterior of some situations surrounding urgent points, his appearances on McAfee had been principally harmless interviews about different sports activities or popular culture subjects.
Because the Jets, why would you do that? They maintain the chips—and it was already public knowledge that Rodgers was not going to be back subsequent season. There is no such thing as a sense in mandating a ban on McAfee’s present for a participant that might be testing free company throughout the subsequent few months.
According to Mike Florio, beneath the present Collective Bargaining Settlement, groups haven’t any proper to limit a participant’s off-the-field media actions. As you in all probability know, in addition they can’t pressure him to take part within the voluntary portion of organized workforce actions.
Rodgers has been silent about this whole scenario. He attended most of final season’s voluntary offseason actions however brought about a little bit of a storm when he missed a compulsory a part of camp to attend a visit to Egypt.
Whereas Rodgers has became a little bit of a heel within the courtroom of public opinion, let’s not faux as if he’s not an excellent quarterback. At age 40, Rodgers threw for 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns and simply 11 interceptions whereas finishing 63 % of his passes.
The Jets are a dumpster hearth. He was infamously injured throughout the first season after simply 4 snaps. However let’s not faux as if he didn’t bounce again extraordinarily properly.
And as a free agent, he can have curiosity. This quarterback draft class isn’t thought very extremely of. Some pundits have stated that neither Shedeur Sanders nor Cam Ward would’ve been first spherical picks final 12 months.
Three quarterback-needy groups headline the highest of this 12 months’s draft. At minimal, Rodgers could be an improve for the Las Vegas Raiders, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, Cleveland Browns and Tennessee Titans on this 12 months’s prime 10. To not point out, the Jets are going to wish one other quarterback, too.
It’s unclear which of these groups will even have curiosity in Rodgers. For some organizations, it is likely to be smarter to embrace the rebuild and take a flier on a rookie quarterback as an alternative of the long run first-ballot Corridor of Famer in Rodgers.
He’ll be capable to discover a workforce to abdomen his weekly appearances on McAfee and peculiar preseason holidays.
