All hell broke loose earlier this week when the NY Times reported that Jets’ QB Aaron Rodgers is one of the two people Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has shortlisted as his running mate. The independent presidential candidate also revealed that he has been “pretty continuously” in touch with the four-time MVP. So, is this a cause for concern for the Green Gang? Will the Jets spend another season without a proper shot-caller at the helm? A long-time superfan of the club and one of the biggest names in sports commentary — Rich Eisen — recently shared his two cents about the whole thing and where he currently stands.
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently announced on his X page that he will reveal his running mate on March 26. However, the initial report about his shortlisting Aaron Rodgers and Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura came a day before the new league year began. And as it turns out, both of these individuals accepted Kennedy’s overtures, which the NY Times first reported and Eisen reiterated a few times on his show.
Since there is a possibility of Rodgers becoming Kennedy’s running mate, the sportscaster urged Rodgers to clarify his intentions. Eisen believes that the Jets can then recruit someone like Joe Flacco, which they should have done last year when Rodgers was sidelined. However, that ship has sailed, as Flacco has already signed a one-year deal with the Colts, but Eisen did mention Justin Fields as an alternative.
Eisen stressed that if A-Rod decides to run alongside Kennedy Jr., he will have to spend an ample amount of time elsewhere, which is nowhere near acceptable for someone who is calling the shots for a franchise like the Jets.
“Aaron, if you’re thinking of being the Vice President of the United States, can you let the Jets know before the new league year hits, so we can actually do what we should have done last year, which is to get Joe Flacco to play quarterback?” Eisen said. “Do the Jets a favor and tell them before it’s too late.“
It’s also worth mentioning that Kennedy Jr., via a text message, revealed to the NY Post that he had already finalized his selection between Rodgers and Ventura. This only makes fans more anxious, as Rodgers has yet to make a statement about what he has decided to pursue.
Is Aaron Rodgers Already Distracted?
After urging A-Rod to clarify his stance, Eisen also emphasized, “D*mn straight, it’s a distraction,” while talking about the former’s decision to run alongside Kennedy Jr. The sportscaster also brought up a tweet from Rodgers’ teammate, Sauce Gardner, who apparently has been left on read. In a tweet, the 2023 Pro Bowler wrote,
“Ohhhh, Aaron bouta become the VP.. That’s why he ain’t been answering my text messages“
Puzzled by Gardner’s tweet, Eisen expressed how the fans might be feeling right now, and quipped, “Is he really not answering Sauce Gardner’s text messages right now? I don’t need this stuff, and nobody needs it.
Eisen just couldn’t get behind the fact that Rodgers welcomed the overture when he himself stepped up to the podium on January 8 and asserted to the room full of reporters that everyone in the New York facility needs to be ‘assessed‘ if they do not come to work with a winning attitude. Rodgers also stressed that it’s not a “half-the-time thing“, a “sometime-thing“, or even a “most of the time thing“. He concludes by saying, “The bulls**t that has nothing to do with winning needs to get out of the building.”
If A-Rod is true to his word, he will need to notify the Jets before the you know what hits the ceiling. Or at least, that’s what Eisen and the majority of fans feel. It has been almost 5 days since the big announcement, and we haven’t yet heard anything from Rodgers. So, it’s safe to say we will need to wait until the deadline for a final answer.
