Aaron Rodgers has faced his fair share of non-football-related controversies over the years—from sharing his opinions on COVID-19 vaccines to exploring alternative treatments like Ayahuasca. Now, in a sit-down interview with Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, the QB concedes that he may have been pushing too hard to be recognized beyond the gridiron.
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While Rodgers never felt distant from the sport, his off-field activities sometimes held him back from fully appreciating what he had as a player. Then a ‘slight adjustment’ opened the QB’s eyes, making him reminisce about the meaningful friendships he made along the way, including the one with his former teammate Randall Cobb.
“The slight perspective adjustment I had was to lean into the fact that I am a football player. It’s pretty cool. Look how much it’s given to my life,” he said of his enlightenment.
Rodgers spent a decade with Cobb in Green Bay and last year in New York, and along the way, they forged a friendship that couldn’t be stronger. So much so that Rodgers proudly calls himself the godfather of Cobb’s child.
“The majority of the best friends in my life are from this sport,” Rodgers said. “I’m the godfather to Randall Cobb’s kid because he got drafted in Green Bay. We played together. We have a deep, close relationship.”
Apart from the friendship, Rodgers also never had any shortage of riches, which allowed him to go places he otherwise couldn’t and do things that financial stability might have prevented. This is why the quarterback accepts football as his identity, something he has clearly struggled with over the years.
During the same conversation, Rodgers also shed light on the pressures and expectations that come with playing in the Big Apple. While comparing his time with the Green Bay Packers from 2005 to 2022, Rodgers noted similarities with his brief tenure with the Jets—a team he was traded to in April 2023.
Rodgers compares the Jets’ stint to his time in Green Bay
The 40-year-old quarterback finds the level of attention from the New York media and fans to be quite similar to Green Bay, despite the contrasting characteristics of the cities he plays in. “With more popularity comes more scrutiny,” he argued.
That said, Rodgers loves the challenging inquiries and inquisitive demeanor of the New York press. He sees it as a test he’s prepared to face, something that wasn’t quite the case in Green Bay.
“I feel like Green Bay, there were certain people you knew were going to ask probing questions, stick on certain things, some people that liked you, some people that didn’t like you. I feel like it’s a fair media….”
On top of it all, the Jets QB is nothing if not optimistic, especially about the upcoming season, as he remarked:
“I understand the New York tie to it. It’s a big city. It’s not for everybody. I’ve enjoyed my time here, hope to be able to play the whole season. I think if I do, we’re going to have a real, real successful season,”
Rodgers’ optimistic view of NYC and the upcoming NFL season clearly hints that there is much to be excited about. Perhaps 2024 will finally be the year when the Jets break their playoff drought, which, unfortunately, is the longest in the NFL.
