After Aaron Rodgers’s disappointing season with the New York Jets, all signs point to a mutual breakup between the two parties. While Rodgers has maintained that he was not the main reason for the Jets’ lackluster campaign, analyst Keyshawn Johnson believes that the quarterback should be shown the door regardless. Rodgers’ questionable attitude is the primary factor behind Johnson’s stance.
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In the latest episode of SPEAK on FS1, Keyshawn made it clear that if he were the GM in New York, Rodgers would be the first on the chopping block. From missing OTAs to constantly throwing teammates under the bus for the team’s failures, the former Jets WR had enough of the drama Aaron brought with him to the Big Apple.
“We can get a quarterback [at the draft]. I’m not worried about that but it’s more about Aaron Rodgers’ behavior of the past, this year in particular and the way things kind of unfolded from throwing players under the bus to not being at the OTAs… like it’s time to now clean the carpet with a clean slate… [Though] he can still play but I don’t need him in my locker room. That’s all I’m saying.”
Interestingly enough, Keyshawn maintained that he had no issues with Rodgers’ on-field output, and rightly so. With the way the drama has unfolded around the Jets, some might think that Rodgers had the worst season of his career. In reality, A-Rod recorded 28 TDs and 3,897 passing yards—better than many QBs around the league.
While fellow analyst Paul Pierce also agreed with this assessment, the former NBA star had one simple question: which NFL team needs a profile like Aaron Rodgers? Considering the drama that the Super Bowl-winning QB brings, Pierce ruled out all teams that need a veteran QB to mentor a rookie.
As for the Super Bowl contenders, Pierce rightly observed that all top teams—like the KC Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, etc.—have an irreplaceable QB in their ranks.
However, Michael Irvin believes the Las Vegas Raiders are a good fit for the quarterback. For the former Cowboys wide receiver, the Raiders are a low-key team that barely gets media attention compared to the Jets and Packers (Rodgers’ former team).
Considering how A-Rod infamously blamed the press for the Jets’ failures this season, Irvin argued that a quieter environment with an intriguing project would suit him best.
“The Raiders don’t have the media attention that the Jets will have. You can possibly work it over with the Raiders because they’re not the same [like the Jets],” argued Irvin.
Keyshawn Johnson yet again had a differing opinion to this statement, as he reminded Irvin of the Tom Brady-Raiders deal. TB12 is synonymous with media attention and with him having his first offseason with the Raiders, the media and the NFL world will be closely watching every move the GOAT takes to improve his team.
Under these circumstances, if you add Rodgers to the mix, Keyshawn implied that the Raiders could very well become NFL media personnel’s favorite team.
Based on the discussion at SPEAK, the key takeaway is that A-Rod has a key decision to take this offseason. While he has shied away from retirement talks so far, it is a valid question as to which team will be willing to take on the 41-year-old QB in their ranks. Safe to say, we have an interesting offseason ahead of us.
