Aaron Rodgers’ absence from the Jets minicamp has sent shockwaves through the football world. It has drawn a lot of flak from fans, analysts, and even former players like Julian Edelman, who recently compared A-Rod’s weak leadership to Tom Brady’s constant fight to be professional.
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Since the NFL is a production business, Julian states how winning games early on in the season would suppress most of the noise. However, even if they win, it still comes out to be a bad form of leadership.
“If they start 4-0, no one’s going to care,” Julian said at ‘The Herd’ with Colin Cowherd. “But that’s the NFL, I think it’s a bad look for your leader for whatever reason to go and miss an unexcused absence.”
“I was with Tom Brady in his 23rd year and he started missing OTAs here and there, but he was still there. Never missed a mandatory minicamp,” Edelman added by claiming how Rodgers’ absence was a “bad look,” on his leadership.
Edelman supported his statement by citing Tom Brady as an example. He recalled how Tom Brady missed a few OTA practices in his 23rd season, which was when Brady was undergoing a tumultuous divorce with Gisele Bundchen. And even then he managed to be as present as possible as a sign of strong leadership.
Julian Edelman Weighs In on Aaron Rodgers’ New Start To the Season
With the Jets facing the 49ers, the Titans, the Patriots, and the Broncos (in that order) in its first four weeks, Edelman feels it’s crucial for them to get a good start to subside the current narrative around them.
“If they go 1-3, this is gonna be such a big distraction for that locker room. Because everyone is gonna be talking about it,” he said.
The extra limelight is what Julian believes comes as a perk of being the star player of New York. However, with the current situation, it’s only going to backfire on the Jets, who are playing it cool. But within the calmness inside the Jets’ facility, Edelman feels there’s a rattled locker room.
“I guarantee there’s four or five guys, six, seven, eight, nine guys in that locker room sitting there like, ‘Where’s he at?'” he exclaimed.
The Patriots legend believes it is extremely crucial for Rodgers to be present at the minicamps since the Jets are working out with a few new offensive players including two receivers and a few linemen.
Aaron Rodgers has additional pressure this season to be at the top of his game in order to lead the Gang Green to a trip to the playoffs or possibly to the Super Bowl. Can Rodgers’ manifestation be as strong as his ability to cancel out the noise?
