What Aaron Rodgers thinks about these Jets, in his own words

8/30/2023
The last six weeks have been the Aaron Rodgers show at Jets training camp.
Rodgers’ ability on the field was fun to watch and lived up to expectations. But Rodgers away from the field may have been even more fascinating.
Rodgers met with the reporters who regularly cover the team seven times during training camp, six times after practice and once after the Giants game. During those sessions, he gave some fascinating answers that provided insight into one of the greatest quarterbacks who has ever lived and the man the Jets are counting on to change their fortunes.
Let’s delve into some of his most revealing quotes during camp:
On the first day of training camp, July 20, Rodgers spoke to reporters about how he has changed as he has gotten older:
“Listen, I feel like I’ve grown a lot over the years,” he said. “Some of that is the well-documented plant medicine journeys that I’ve talked about, but the other is perspective. As you get older, you see things a little bit clearer, I think. Hindsight is 20/20. Try and rectify some of the things that you did a certain way that you feel like you could have done better.
“I think it’s always important to have patience in shorts and helmets, have patience the first few days of camp. Sometimes that patience can wear thin if it’s repeated mistakes, but we’re just building this thing right now. We want to build it the right way. I would say maybe earlier in my career, I was a little more easily angered and I feel like I’m a little less triggered as I’ve gotten older.”
A few days later, on July 26, Rodgers made it clear that he is planning to play beyond the 2023 season with the Jets:
“It’s all about the body and how the body feels,” Rodgers said. “The team gave up significant pieces just for it just to be a one-year deal. I’m aware of that. I think there was an awareness of that. Now again, anything can happen, with my body or with the success we have this year, but I’m having a blast, so I don’t really see this as a one-year-and-done thing.”
During training camp, it was striking to see Rodgers often wander to where the defense was and talk to the players on defense. Typically during practice, the offense works in one area and the defense in another and they don’t mingle.
“I sometimes enjoy walking around and getting a different view of things,” Rodgers said of his camp travels, “so I don’t always just like standing behind the play; I like to move to the left sometimes. In that, you are hearing also whatever position group is over there, you are kind of hearing some of the coaching points, you can check some guys on if they know what the play is, if they are taking mental reps, go to the other side, hear the linemen and what they are talking about, hear the D-line. You can pick up some tips, offer some tips.
“When you are from the side and from behind, it is a lot different view as well, but look, I love our guys and I think any chance they can see and feel me encouraging them is a good thing. I really enjoyed the conversation with the DBs — there has been a lot of them. From Sauce [Gardner] and DJ [Reed] and MC (Michael Carter II) and JW (Jordan Whitehead), TA (Tony Adams) and Smash (Adrian Amos) and all those guys.
“I think it is important that we communicate, because if we are just trying to beat each other’s ass in practice, that’s great for competition-wise, but we are not actually getting better. They need to be talking to me about if my receivers are tipping something off or if something I am doing is tipping them off, and I need to tell them like, ‘Hey, this is hard for me, this isn’t.’ There are things to work on for both sides and I think the sharing of information is really important, us kind of getting together on the same page and taking that next step.”
One of the biggest stories around Rodgers during camp was his decision to take a $33 million pay cut. Rodgers explained he did it to give the Jets flexibility to add players:
“It’s about the guys before training camp, guys at the end of training camp that that we could possibly bring in,” Rodgers said on Aug. 1. “There’s obviously more trades now that we see across the league, at least bigger names at the deadline than maybe my first couple years in the league, but you know, this is going to be a few years partnership, and after that, hopefully there’s not a huge kind of cap issue. That’s why we didn’t need to back load it or put any special escalator, strange things in the contract to weigh down the organization after I’m done playing.”
Rodgers gave a glimpse into the quarterback room, where passing game coordinator Todd Downing comes up with creative ways to keep players engaged:
“I like the way he leads the room,” Rodgers said. “It’s … real interactive; we had like 8, 9, 10 in the morning, an hour and 10 minutes of just some real good football conversation. So, we’ll highlight some plays from practice, there will be tests. [Assistant coach] John Vieira, who does a lot of our video stuff, will put together some really cool ‘Jeopardy’-style questions stuff and will test the guys on run game stuff.”
Rodgers has embraced the role of mentor to younger players. He spoke about several during the last few weeks. Here is what he had to say about quarterback Zach Wilson:
“I hope that this time for him is like a deep inhale and exhale. That he can really like take a breath and pause and sit with the disappointment of last year and the frustration and then channel it. I feel like he has, but just reach in and channel it to a positive and focus on the opportunity in front of him. To learn with a guy who loves him and cares about him and wants him to be great and wants him to do incredible things every day and to get better. Then just go be himself and look at this as a chance to reset. I think he’s done it.
“It’s a tough position. You’re the guy, you dealt with all the stuff last year. His play on the field, the frustration, some of the stuff that he said, and the stuff that was said about him, which is probably the most difficult by his teammates and by some of you all, and now he’s got a chance to kind of reset that whole thing. Take back the narrative. I think he’s done a great job.”
New York Giants cornerback Gemon Green (34) tries to make the stop but New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) makes a touchdown pass to New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson (17) during the first half when the New York Giants played the New York Jets in preseason action Saturday, August 26, 2023 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.
As he did with Davante Adams in Green Bay, Rodgers will try to give Garrett Wilson extra time to run himself open.
Robert Sabo for the NY Post
Rodgers and second-year wide receiver Garrett Wilson clicked almost instantly, prompting the veteran QB to compare Wilson to Davante Adams, his great receiver in Green Bay.
“The talent is really impressive,” Rodgers said on Aug. 16. “He makes difficult things look easy and it’s the person that he is, too. Receivers are an interesting personality. They are usually the most talented guys on the team, athletically, [and] everybody wants the football, everybody wants to be on the field, everybody thinks they’re open all the time. I’ve had some great ones over the years who are great people as well and he’s one of those guys; he’s a great person.
“The talent is there, it’s just the communication now, the nonverbal stuff that is starting to come. We had a mishap in the two-minute today, which is a good learning experience, but we haven’t made the same mistake twice, which is great. He’s so eager to learn and he’s so talented with the football.
“I told him I used to have a rule with Davante where I’d give Davante a little extra tick because I know if I did that, he’s going to get open, because he is really difficult to cover. I have to give that to Garrett, too, because sometimes you give him just a little extra tick, where you’re sitting on him, he’s going to be really open.”
After the last preseason game, Rodgers talked about his relationship with tackle Mekhi Becton, who won the starting right tackle job:
“He’s come a long way,” Rodgers said. “I’m really proud of him, as much as anybody on the team. The way that Mekhi has grown this month has been really spectacular. I don’t know if you guys get the chance to talk to him a whole lot, but I just feel like his head is in a really good spot and he feels like he’s part of it. He’s been playing well. I’m not sure what the film’s going to show, but it felt like out there that he protected well.
“He’s a mountain of a man. He leads us on the field. It’s like old school battles where you send your biggest guy out first and there’s Mekhi leading us on the field. …
“It is amazing to see when you empower people and when you encourage people and you wrap your arms around people, you see their personality start to come out, you see the confidence start to grow, and I think that’s what we’ve tried to do with Mekhi and make him feel like he’s a part of this and make him feel important. … He’s returned that love and trust and support with a lot of really good play.”
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Stat’s so
Jets fans have to be hoping that Rodgers is going to break every passing record in franchise history this season. That should include some big games. Here is the list of top 10 passing games by yards in Jets history:
1. Joe Namath (Sept. 24, 1972): 496 yds., Jets 44, at Colts 34
2. Vinny Testaverde (Dec. 24, 2000): 481 yds., at Ravens 34, Jets 20
3. Ken O’Brien (Sept. 21, 1986): 479 yds., Jets 51, Dolphins 45 (OT)
4. Richard Todd (Sept. 21, 1980): 447 yds., 49ers 37, Jets 27
5. Richard Todd (Sept. 25, 1983): 446 yds., Jets 27, Rams 24 (OT)
6. Ken O’Brien (Nov. 2, 1986): 431 yds., Jets 38, at Seahawks 7
7. Vinny Testaverde (Dec. 6, 1998): 418 yds., Jets 32, Seahawks 31
8. Glenn Foley (Sept. 6, 1998): 415 yds., at 49ers 36, Jets 30 (OT)
Joe Namath (Oct. 1, 1967): 415 yds., Jets 29, Dolphins 7
10. Mike White (Oct. 31, 2021): 405 yds., Jets 34, Bengals 31
SOURCE: Stathead