The clock is ticking on Aaron Rodgers’ career. The four-time MVP has already flirted with the idea of retirement, whether it was to be Robert Kennedy Jr.’s running mate, or to serve as the new the host of Jeopardy. But for at least one more year, Rodgers will have his sights set on capturing the Lombardi Trophy for the second time in his career, which would be one hell of a feat to accomplish, not only because he’s already 40 years old, but also because the New York Jets haven’t been to a Super Bowl since Rodgers’ father was just a teenager, and last made the postseason the same year that Rodgers won his one and only Super Bowl title.
With this being the position that Aaron Rodgers finds himself in as the 2024 season approaches, it’s understandable that as he comes back from a season-ending achilles tear that he suffered on the opening drive of the 2023 season, he’d be a little more ornery than he normally is… and that’s saying something. It’s no secret that Aaron Rodgers isn’t exactly the easiest guy to get along with — just ask Garrett Wilson. But New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh sees Rodgers’ temperamental nature as a benefit to his team, noting that high expectations and standards are good for his team.
“I’ve heard stories of Peyton Manning and Tom Brady — not to compare them — but it’s the same thing,” Robert Saleh said, making a direct comparison, per Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. “The expectation and the standard is high. As a quarterback, he’s trying to operate at a certain level of efficiency, which means people around him need to be efficient at the same level. When he’s not feeling that as a group’s leader and voice, he voices his opinion.”
Given Aaron Rodgers’ success and his tenure in the National Football League, he’s certainly the one guy on the Jets roster who has the right to consistently voice his opinion, even if those opinions ruffle some feathers or rub teammates the wrong way. If a Super Bowl title, or even a deep postseason run is the end result, it will all be easy to forgive.
Can Aaron Rodgers end the Jets Super Bowl drought?
Rich Cimini described Aaron Rodgers as “a demanding perfectionist,” a title which is spot on, but not nearly as enticing as the way Jets tight end Tyler Conklin spoke of his quarterback.
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Tyler Conklin calls Aaron Rodgers the “Oppenheimer of football” “The way he sees the game and processes the game at the speed that he does it is impressive.”
Now granted, I’m no expert on the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, and I’ve only seen the critically acclaimed, Academy Award winning film Oppenheimer once, but it feels like Conklin is onto something here. Historian Steven Shapin referred to Oppenheimer as “a charismatic leader,” yet noted that the brilliant theoretical physicist was “so enigmatic, so complicated.” He had a diverse set of interests beyond science. He wrote poetry as a child, studied ancient Hindu texts after college, and became increasingly invested in politics as he got older.
Sound like anyone else you know?
