We all know how this is gonna go.
Following yet another soul-crushing New York Jets loss, Aaron Rodgers will meet with reporters Monday to downplay any concerns. He’ll probably take a shot or two at the media over their coverage. He might even throw a teammate or two under the bus.
On Tuesday he’ll show up on The Pat McAfee Show, wow the easily impressed host with some big words, have a few laughs, and share his opinion on matters of the world well beyond football.
Meanwhile, the New York media, ESPN, Fox Sports, and everyone else are going to be hanging on every word, ready to react accordingly. And Rodgers will gladly chastise them while also chumming the water with their next meal.
At 2-6, New York’s overhyped 2024 season is going down the tubes in typical Jets fashion. The head coach is gone. The interim coach doesn’t seem to understand timeout strategy. They traded for Rodgers’ buddy and have yet to win a game since.
Rodgers sits at the center of it all, attempting to seem above the fray while constantly keeping himself in the media cycle that he claims to despise.
There’s an opportunity that exists right now. An opportunity for the conspiracy theory-toting quarterback to do something so drastic and so unthinkable to prove his leadership capabilities. An opportunity to prove, at least for a brief moment, that his focus is truly on winning and turning this Jets season around.
He could just shut up for a little bit.
Stick to the script during Monday’s presser. Use his McAfee appearance to show all he’s thinking about it getting a win. Or better yet, cancel his appearance, citing a desire to get his head right. Avoid any unrelated diatribes, pretentious spiritual commentary, or unwarranted shots at teammates. Take ownership of the situation and say the season starts brand-new on Thursday against the Houston Texans.
Of course, we all know that’s not gonna happen. Rodgers is too high on his own supply and lost in his ego to change course now (plus he’s got a docuseries to promote). Like any conspiracy nut who’s gone down too many rabbit holes for their own good, he’s too convinced of his correctness. If anything, it’s the rest of his teammates, his coaching staff, his ownership, his fans, and the local media who need to make changes. If they want wins so badly, they need to meet him where he’s at, not the other way around.
The dopamine hits that come with his press conferences and McAfee Show fawning sessions are too strong to turn down. And despite so many people in and around the Jets wanting to see their aging signal-caller recapture his former glory one last time, Rodger just doesn’t have the juice Tom Brady had when he went to Tampa. His interests are elsewhere.
It’d be so easy. New Yorkers can be harsh but they love a winner and they love someone who puts everything on their shoulders and says ‘I’m gonna take care of this.’ Maybe there was a time when Aaron Rodgers had that mentality but it’s long gone. And at a time when the Jets need him to shut up and step up, it’s the least likely outcome possible.
