Aaron Rodgers joined the New York Jets this off-season in a trade that grabbed the world’s attention. Amid the humor present over the Green Bay Packers sending the Jets another one of their legendary quarterbacks, the move essentially tipped the scales. The Jets landed a superstar. That was the headline. New York got a bona fide superstar in Rodgers. For better or worse, his visibility is among the highest of all active athletes.
In doing so, New York City claimed another superstar. In case you haven’t heard, the city sports an exuberantly passionate fanbase. That’s probably putting it mildly. It does take a particular cut from the cloth to adapt and adjust in NYC. You’ve seen it and heard about it, and most of the time, it’s accurate. In Rodgers’ case, he seems to be loving it. His movements have been noticed, namely, by ESPN’s Mike Greenberg.
Greenberg, an ardent and vocal Jets fan, has been among Rodgers’ most prominent and visible TV supporters. That trend continued on Wednesday’s episode of The Pat McAfee Show.
"I absolutely love Aaron Rodgers and it has been better than I might have imagined in my wildest dreams..
He's embraced everything about being a leader and being a member of the New York community" ~ @Espngreeny #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/mdkY2l0rKH
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) August 23, 2023
“I’m just going to say it… I love him. I mean, I absolutely love him,” he said of Rodgers. “I had no idea it was gonna be this good. Like I’ll be totally honest with you. You know how in favor I was of us getting him and we all saw the video when he said on your show that he wanted to be–yes, I suggested that I was willing to sever multiple appendages,” Greenberg said. He then continued.
“But I will admit that it came with some trepidation. Like, you know, a lot of the stuff that’s gone on with him and around him the last couple of years has been… the stuff that makes you anxious. What exactly are we going to get? What exactly is his headspace? Where exactly is he going to be, and how exactly is he going to handle this? Let me tell you guys, it has been infinitely better than I might have imagined in my wildest dreams.
“The idea that he would come here and embrace everything about being a leader, about being sort of a member of the New York sports community and well beyond just the sports part of it. he’s been so much better than I ever could imagined,” he closed.
The one thing about New York is though: They can love you one minute and then hate you the next. It’s a performance town, so nothing for Aaron Rodgers matters until September.
