Aaron Rodgers took a dig at Haason Reddick and The Athletic during his appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. And with that, the NFL season is officially underway.
It had been too long since Rodgers assumed his self-appointed role as the slayer of fake news. But after Rodgers led the Jets to a convincing win over the New England Patriots last week on Thursday Night Football, McAfee welcomed the polarizing quarterback to his Tuesday afternoon show by asking him to reflect on an unfavorable offseason report. That report came from The Athletic, quoting an anonymous NFL agent who alleged there is “disarray” in the Jets locker room, pointing to the team treating Rodgers differently than other players.
“I would say the culture here is the opposite of what that headline said” 😂😂 @AaronRodgers12 #PMSLive #JetUp pic.twitter.com/yPuB5FE6Oj
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 24, 2024
“I would say the culture is about the opposite of what that article said. I didn’t read the article, but just reading that headline there, it sounds like it was written by Haason Reddick’s agent,” Rodgers told McAfee with a chuckle. “Former agent, I guess, possibly. In a way to try and disparage our great organization.”
It wasn’t long ago that the Jets expected Reddick to be a big contributor to their team after acquiring the Pro Bowl linebacker from the Philadelphia Eagles this past offseason. But Reddick remains in a standoff with the Jets, requesting a trade as he continues to hold out while seeking a new contract.
In the article from The Athletic, reporter Ben Standig received participation from anonymous agents who offered “informed views” of each NFL team before the season kicked off.
“There is complete disarray over there,” one agent said about the Jets. “Look at how they’ve handled Aaron Rodgers. Has one player had more power than him? He skipped minicamp. They have been unable to convert him into a team player. The vibe inside the building is terrible.”
Beyond Rodgers’ quip, there is no additional evidence of that review coming from Reddick’s agent, but it’s worth noting the linebacker has skipped minicamp, training camp, the preseason, and the first three games of the regular season with no end to his holdout in sight. Reddick has lost more than $8 million in fines due to his holdout, which is seeming like a bad negotiation tactic by him and his agent Tory Dandy. And while it’s possible Rodgers knows something is coming, there have been no reports about Reddick dropping Dandy as his agent.
After calling out The Athletic, Rodgers proceeded to rip all the headlines from his decision to skip mandatory minicamp for a trip to Egypt earlier this year.
“When you perform like you do Thursday, you’re 2-1, and obviously you never know what can happen as the season goes on, but I think you realize how ridiculous some of these offseason storylines can be,” Rodgers said. “Is anyone talking about minicamp anymore? Does anybody feel like that is an important contributor in the season? The answer is no, it shouldn’t. Because it’s not.”
While you can’t question his impact on the football field, there have been many questions about Rodgers’ impact on a locker room throughout his career. Despite one anonymous agent attempting to claim that the trend has followed Rodgers to New York, everything looks fine with the Jets through three weeks. But it is just three weeks.
