SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 22: Starling Thomas V #24 of the Arizona Cardinals looks on before the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on October 22, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Did Rodgers’ ESPN Hits Really Bother Jets?
The New York Jets can never win. While that’s seemed true for the better part of two decades on the field, it’s almost certainly true off of it. Poor play and incompetence has justifiably tarnished the team’s reputation, but fans have grown tired with a nationwide commitment to pointing and laughing at almost every move the team makes, regardless of how strong the process behind it was.
Most recently, this has surrounded the news of quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ release. When the Jets were keen on running it back, it was viewed as reckless optimism for an ill-fated passer. As it became clear he’d be cut, they were dragged for letting a proven veteran out of the building. On Thursday, drama arose when discussions about Rodgers’ meeting with New York’s braintrust included media appearances on
“The Pat McAfee Show.” The Athletic reported that the Jets wanted to force Rodgers to stay away from those extracurriculars if they decided to keep him. Ian Rapoport then suggested that those talks were less polarizing than social media had assumed. “My understanding, though, is this was really the product of several conversations with the Jets and Rodgers,” Rapoport said on The Insiders (as transcribed by On3). “And from what I am told, there was no ultimatums made to him. It wasn’t like, and I know there was a report the Jets don’t want Aaron Rodgers to do the Pat McAfee Show and if he agrees not to, then we’ll bring him back. It wasn’t like that.
