Aaron Rodgers was caught pointing fingers in his recent presser following the Jets 26-21 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. What was the problem this time? The wind was inconsistent, he said. Like many, Shannon Sharpe has had it with Rodgers not taking full accountability for his team’s performance.
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“At some point in time, you just got to say, ‘it’s me,'” the former tight end said on the latest episode of Nightcap.
It’s been a common theme for Rodgers at this point in the season. The Jets have bent over backwards trying to please the former Super Bowl champ. They’ve signed and traded for Rodgers’ former teammates, hired and fired coaches at his discretion, and stuck with him through the worst stretch in his career. Yet, after every disappointing loss, Rodgers can’t find it within himself to show some humility.
Sharpe literally laid out word-for-word what Rodgers needs to be saying: “‘I am not playing well, I’m not seeing the ball. I’m just not playing well… I need to take advantage of the opportunity when it presents itself. I think sometimes I’m trying to force it…’ That’s all you have to do!”
It’s quite ridiculous at this point that Rodgers can’t muster up to his failures. At every turn, it seems as though he bypasses them and blames someone else — and the owner, Woody Johnson, goes along with it.
Johnson dismissed former head coach, Robert Saleh, after a disappointing loss to the Minnesota Vikings in London. He then fired the GM, Joe Douglas, following a loss to the Indianapolis Colts. Did that help? Clearly not.
The Jets and Johnson then tried to convince the fans that Rodgers wasn’t pulling the strings, revealing that they had considered even benching him. All in all, the lack of accountability has resulted in a derailment for the Jets. A team that had Super Bowl aspirations to start the season has crashed and continues to burn every day. But one Hall of Fame coach doesn’t think this is the end for Rodgers.
Coach Bill Belichick thinks Rodgers can rebound in 2025. “You look at all the quarterbacks on their second teams, and they’re doing pretty well. Russell (Wilson), Geno (Smith), Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield, Matthew Stafford for that matter, Jared Goff. These guys switch teams, get into a different system and things get a little different,” the former head coach said on the latest episode of Get Up.
“Maybe they learn some things from whatever it was their previous experiences were. It changes. When a guy has a long career and a good career, sometimes, one season is just a bump in the road. It’s not necessarily the end of the road,” Belichick continued.
It’s true that many quarterbacks in recent years have switched teams and thrived. But the pressure on Rodgers compared to those other guys has been astronomically different. He’s a four-time MVP, who many Jets fans thought would be the franchise’s savior. Instead, all they’ve received is an immediate Achilles tear in his first season, and a disaster of a performance in the second.
If Rodgers and the Jets rebound next year, it’s going to be on the heels of sweeping front office and coaching changes. But a little accountability on Rodgers’ part would also go a long way for team chemistry.
