The New York Jets have been one of the most talked about teams in the NFL this offseason. For better or for worse, much of that discourse has been centered around four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers. The polarizing quarterback was acquired by New York in a trade with the Green Bay Packers before the 2023 NFL Draft. Ever since, Rodgers and the Jets have had high expectations set upon them but have yet to live up to them.
Of course, Rodgers’ torn Achilles cost him all of last season and the rest of the team struggled without him. While he was injured, the future Hall of Famer continued to do his regular guest appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, oftentimes stirring up controversy with his non-conventional beliefs and views.
Despite these controversies, the Jets have always stood by their franchise quarterback. He has rewarded their faith in him by showing up to offseason team activities, which are voluntary, and something he did not do during his final years in Green Bay.
That is, until he was absent unexcused from mandatory minicamp.
Aaron Rodgers Skipped the New York Jets’ Mandatory Minicamp for an “Important Event”
As mentioned, Rodgers did not attend the offseason programs in Green Bay during his final seasons with the Packers. This was, of course, because he was upset with the team for drafting Jordan Love.
While Rodgers has had no such conflicts with New York, his absence from mandatory workouts was concerning to those looking in from the outside. Head coach Robert Saleh said that he was at an event that was important to him, but that the team could not excuse him.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated insinuated that the future Hall of Fame quarterback may have been off at one of his famed ayahuasca retreats:
“The best I can answer this right now that I feel solid about is that he is somewhere that they could not excuse and maintain credibility with the rest of the locker room, but would be expected, would not be an out-of-left-field thing for him. So you guys can open your mind, so to speak, as he’s been known to open his mind sometimes, into all the possibilities.”
In addition to his numerous podcast appearances regarding non-football related topics over the course of the offseason, Rodgers has preached that it is important for his team to block all outside distractions and focus on football.
Regardless of where Rodgers was, it appears as if he is having trouble following his own advice in this matter. Many wondered how the Jets really are feeling about the aging quarterback going into 2024.
Team owner Woody Johnson, though, put those questions to rest with one social media post.
New York Jets Owner Woody Johnson Says Aaron Rodgers Looks as Good as Ever
Despite their differing beliefs on a wide variety of topics, Jets owner Woody Johnson and Rodgers have always been on the same page when it comes to Jets football. After all, it was Johnson himself who made numerous trips out to California to recruit Rodgers to New York in the first place.
He recently posted the following statement on X (formerly Twitter) which shows how he and the team view Rodgers going into 2024:
.@AaronRodgers12 looked as good as ever this spring pic.twitter.com/kpCFJv7VsD
— Woody Johnson (@woodyjohnson4) June 20, 2024
Obviously, the team would not excuse Rodgers’ absence, which means he is subject to fines. However, his absence did nothing to deter their belief that he can make them relevant in 2024.
