Last season, Aaron Rodgers was one of those quarterbacks in the league who was under heavy pressure. Rodgers was first traded to New York, with the expectation of solving their Super Bowl drought that has lasted since 1970. While many believed in him, there were other popular figures, including Skip Bayless, who were not very receptive to him coming in. Even after his debut season’s abrupt ending, the backlashes haven’t stopped.
A semi-scientific Twitter study conducted by BetOnline, revealed that Rodgers is the most hated person in the NFL community. Although the New York Jets love their quarterback, another update by an American sports and book writer, Ian O’Connor, reveals that A-Rod is still not favored by all.
Ian O’Connor reveals two names from Aaron Rodgers’ former team!
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In a recent episode of The Colin Cowherd Podcast, NFL analysts Ian O’Connor and Colin Cowherd discussed Aaron Rodgers and the increasing animosity towards him. O’Connor revealed, “It’s interesting the Jets, the players love him to death, and I think most of them did in Green Bay. He had two guys Greg Jennings and Jermichael Finley, who had some negative things to say about him, and his leadership style and approach….I had a prominent NFL figure, I use this quote in the book, but I’ll give it to you now, I didn’t name the person because he said, I can’t stand Aaron Rogers and everything he stands for particularly on the vaccine and this is somebody who’s done a lot of business with the Packers and the Jets….”
Despite this hatred by many, O’Conner expressed, “But I have to admit, I’ve never met an NFL player who doesn’t like him in the locker room. He’s loved in a lot of corners.” Earlier Jennings ripped Rodgers calling him “selfish” over salary demands and explained their relationship as “non-existent.” While Finley criticized Rodgers calling him “not a good leader.” So, be it vaccine issues, salary cap issues, or leadership issues, Rodgers has been the target of many.
Even Cowherd highlighted that the four-time NFL MVP is not a leader molded on the same lines as Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, Peyton Manning, and others. But the question is why has Rodger never been considered a good leader?
Why is Aaron Rodgers hated as a leader?
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In the NFL, there is an interesting dynamic that is in play when it comes to Aaron Rodgers. While many players on both his NFL teams genuinely love him, some have had a cold relationship with the quarterback. Shannon Sharpe, once revealed why Rodgers was hated the most. There was a time in the 2022 season with the Green Bay Packers when the shot-caller publicly called out his team’s receivers for not performing well, asking them to play better and be more consistent.
This resulted in a disconnection between him and his players, and Sharpe, like a lot of pundits, called him out on Undisputed, saying, “Being a leader is not an easy thing, because you’re asking me to put their utmost faith in you. And I won’t lead you astray. But you have to understand that you can’t do everybody the same way.” He also had a suggestion for Rodgers. “He could have easily called those guys in a meeting. Guys, we got to be better. We’ll get a six in 11. That effort today will get us seven in 10. That’s not good enough for the standards in which we play by here at Green Bay, ” Sharpe said. He also clearly mentioned that “It would have been hard for a lot of guys to play with him when he demonstrates that type of behavior.”
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Now as Rodgers is with the Jets, the experts and sports analysts are hoping for good leadership in the next season, as his debut season with the Jets ended in just four snaps.