‘Where is Aaron Rodgers?’ has been a common theme through the month of June with the New York Jets quarterback missing from mandatory minicamp.
As is implied by the title, Rodgers’ presence was implied at minicamp, owing to the ‘mandatory’ obligation of it all. Alas, it appears the 4x NFL MVP had other plans.
The Athletic’s Diana Russini reported that Rodgers preferred to be “somewhere else” away from football, adding that that was his choice.
Rodgers’ unexcused absence from mandatory minicamp drew a wave of criticism. Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Sean King was the latest to join in.
On the Go Long TD podcast on June 22, King said:
“Aaron Rodgers is one of the most talented throwers of the football we’ve ever seen. You can’t argue with that on any level. He’s just brilliant when it comes to throwing the ball. [But] in my opinion, he’s become one of the most selfish and self-centered quarterbacks of my generation.”
King added that Rodgers should have been mindful of the fact that Robert Saleh is most likely to be on the hot seat this year.
“What more could you do to undermine the soft footing that he’s already on than to miss mandatory minicamp. That schedule has been out since the Jets finished their season last year. Guys got emailed that schedule right after the last game. It’s not like he hasn’t known when mandatory minicamp is,” King said.
Julian Edelman adds to chorus calling out Aaron Rodgers’ unexcused absence
In an appearance on Colin Cowherd’s ‘The Herd’ podcast last week, Julian Edelman had a thing or two to say about Aaron Rodgers missing mandatory minicamp with the Jets.
“God forbid the New York Jets start 1-3 in the beginning of the season – they start with the Niners, Tennessee, the Patriots [and the Broncos] – if they go 1-3, this is going to be such a big distraction for that locker room because everyone’s going to be talking about it.”
Edelman added that it was a ‘bad look’ for Rodgers to miss mandatory minicamp, stating that Tom Brady never went down that route.
