“It cost him a 100 grand”: Aaron Rodgers criticized by Ex-Packers WR for downplaying Jets minicamp absence

It looks like Aaron Rodgers has yet again grabbed the headlines. But this time, it might not be for injuries; instead, it is something more unprofessional. The New York Jets’ veteran QB had last season cut short after four plays with an Achilles injury. This threw the Jets’ plans of qualifying to their first playoff appearance after 13 years. However, with the new season looming large, the Jets’ fans would be hoping for a change in fortunes.

But the 40-year-old Jets’ QB seems to have other plans as he downplayed the importance of mandatory minicamp. Although he has recovered from his season-ending injury, A-Rod decided to skip OTAs even though they were mandatory minicamp altogether. Reacting to this situation, head coach Robert Saleh called it an “unexcused” absence. The Jets coach is visibly frustrated as Rodgers is supposed to play an integral role in their upcoming NFL season.

His one-month sabbatical threw Saleh’s preseason plans under the bus, which might prove costly. Even ex-Packers WR Greg Jennings appeared on The Carton Show to share his views on A-Rod’s unprofessional absence. “In the grand scheme of things, if you look from externally, it is a big deal because he has leaned into everything, all of the talk of coaching staff coming back and being here, and you know the expectations that I carry and what I expected to do and be for this team he had leaned into all those things all off-season. And so to miss a mandatory training camp, and downplay it, and say words can be deceiving. You are the greatest deceptor of words in the history of this football league.” 

It looks like Greg Jennings has burst into the deception shown by Rodgers toward the Jets faithful. The Jets have continued to support A-Rod throughout his recovery. Even went far and beyond to bring some of his ex-teammates, like Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb, who failed miserably in his absence. However, he is yet to return something meaningful for that unconditional support. At the end of the show, the host, Craig Carton, also added, “It cost him a 100 grand”, which Jennings agreed and pointed out how A-Rod didn’t care.

Will Aaron Rodgers’s training camp sabbatical affect the Jets’ season?

For the second season running, the Jets hope Aaron Rodgers will step up and lead the charge. But his absence from the mandatory training camp for a vacation in Egypt might have ruffled a few feathers. A-Rod decided to appear on the “Pardon My Take” podcast to clear up the air regarding his training camp fiasco. “They can arbitrarily put a tag on whatever week of OTAs they want and say, ‘This is the minicamp week,’ which makes it somehow more mandatory than the other weeks, But it was an OTA schedule. That’s how words can be a little deceiving from time to time. They can make a story out of the fact that I missed a minicamp, but it was really two OTA days, But I came to the first 10.” 

Rodgers has seemingly expressed his distress regarding the minicamp nowadays. He recalled how it used to be a three-day event that had five practices. For him, that was the real minicamp, thereby quashing the structure of modern-day minicamps. Meanwhile, Rodgers was quick to inform Saleh about his decision in advance. Saleh added, “There’s no issue between Aaron or his teammates, for that matter. We addressed it yesterday, but it’s more of an issue for everyone outside of the building than it is inside. That’s about it.” The Jets would be hoping they can get their season on track and get a shot at bringing the Super Bowl back to New York after a lengthy hiatus since the 1968 season.