Aaron Rodgers might have seen a dip in popularity off-field in the past few years, but that’s not the case on the field. Rodgers, increasingly infamous for his wild and controversial takes, is apparently still the king of the locker room. He might be anti-vax and might occasionally stick his foot in his mouth by making false claims about people, those things apparently don’t matter when he’s on the field playing some serious football.
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While many may find Rodgers’ political and other views off-putting, they hold almost no weight for football fans, or even his own teammates, per ESPN radio host Michael Kay. Joining Rich Eisen on his show, the radio show revealed something that may come as a shock to many as he said,
“They (the fans) don’t care what he does off the field, as long as he plays great. And I have talked to Robert Saleh off the air, he goes ‘This stuff that you think is a distraction doesn’t get through the walls, players don’t care about that stuff, they love this guy as a teammate'”
As far as fans and teammates are concerned, Aaron Rodgers is golden, his indiscretions off the field are as much a non-issue as his personal life. In fact, while his first season only lasted four plays with the Jets, he was voted the most inspirational player by his teammates for the 2023 season. HC Saleh said of his teammates’ favor:
“I’ve said it a million times: He loves his teammates, and his teammates love him. He’s so intentional with how he approaches everybody in the building. He’s very thoughtful in the way he does things, and he’s a tremendous human.”
If it was doubtful in anybody’s mind that Rodgers is well-liked among his teammates, this should be proof enough. As for football fans, Kay says that football fans would root for the worst person in the world, and even root for the ones on the opposite political spectrum on one condition: being amazing on the field.
And while Rodgers might not have much to show on that front in the past few years, fans will still be holding out hope as he takes a second gander at his New York debut. And if the inspirational honor is proof of his standing among his teammates, the team’s 2024 schedule might be proof of his standing amongst fans.
Jets Get Six Prime-Time Games Because of Aaron Rodgers?
Just like last season, the Jets have a schedule packed with Prime Time games this season. The theory last year was that the league had set the schedule to bank on a much anticipated Rodgers’ Jets debut. And that’s the same theory this season.
The Jets have six prime-time games in the first eleven weeks, two each on ‘Monday Night Football,’ ‘Thursday Night Football,’ and ‘Sunday Night Football.’ And it seems Rodgers himself is aware of his own influence as he said during a radio interview,
“We are must-watch TV and that’s pretty obvious. Everyone knows that. Whether you love or hate me, people want to see me play.”
There are a lot of things that have football fans even more focused on Rodgers this season, his growing age, a debut with a new team after decades spent in Green Bay, and of course, his return from a severe injury. But he and Michael Kay are right, it doesn’t matter to football fans what he says off the field, they just want to watch him play because he’s a great player.
And whether you love him or hate him, you have to admit, Aaron Rodgers does make for good TV.
