Aaron Rodgers wastes no time making his presence felt with Jets
New Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers has taken positive strides with his teammates, letting them know who is in charge. Credit: Noah K. Murray
Aaron Rodgers was not happy with how his group played against the defense at a Jets practice this past week. No one on offense was. The Jets’ new quarterback let his teammates know in their next huddle that the effort wasn’t good enough and the standard needed to be raised.
Message received.
“He didn’t say get your [expletive] together,” tight end C.J. Uzomah said, “but essentially, it was, ‘Get your [expletive] together.’ Make sure we’re finishing, make sure we’re where we need to be, we’re finishing, we’re doing all the little details, we’re nailing it down, because [it] wasn’t good enough.”
That was it.
“It’s that presence that he’s an expert out there. He’s a GOAT, so it is nice to have that presence,” Uzomah said.
Rodgers was traded from the Packers to the Jets last month, and his presence with his new team already has been felt in so many ways. His actual presence in the building, on the practice field and in meetings, and making sure he’s engaging with his teammates, are where it’s being felt the most.
The four-time MVP has everyone’s attention. Some of the Jets said it took them some time to get used to seeing Rodgers in their weight room or on the field. He has been a fixture during the voluntary workouts — workouts he disdained during his last few years as a Packer — and he has built relationships with many of his new teammates.
“When I seen him, I’m like, ‘Dang, that’s really AR, he’s really a Jet,’ ” cornerback D.J. Reed said. “It’s surreal. It’s a crazy feeling knowing that we got a Hall of Fame quarterback that’s going to be playing for us this year.
“My first encounter with him, he asked, ‘How’s your baby doing?’ — which I thought was cool. I was like, how did he know about that? He’s a smart guy. He’s tuned in.”
Rodgers has no regrets about playing for the Jets. He said it’s been “a dream month” and that he wakes up each day excited to come to work.
“Every day there’s been something that’s kind of been a special sign or just a cool moment that reminds me I’m in the right place,” Rodgers said.
Make no mistake, he did not join the Jets to make new friends, collect a paycheck and get front-row seats for games at Madison Square Garden. The fire to win still burns inside the 39-year-old.
Rodgers won a Super Bowl with Green Bay, and he’s considered royalty in that football-frenzied city. He knows that if he wins with the Jets, he will become legendary in New York, too. It’s why he has been present and accounted for throughout the Jets’ offseason program and why he’s been so direct and to the point with his teammates about how he does things and how things should look on offense.
Rodgers saw an opening after an unimpressive showing by the offense to speak up, and he did.
“It’s a time-and-place thing,” he said. “The thing I do stress with those guys and did was that we need to be intentional and you can’t just come out here in anything you do — whether it’s a meeting, workout or a practice especially — you can’t come out there and go through the motions and check a box and be so worried about doing something the right way that you turn your brain off and become a robot out there.
“Everything we do needs to have a purpose and an intention. The attention to detail was not good enough with the fundamental things, the finish and the ball security.”
Rodgers has a similar approach in team meetings.
He’s close with offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, who gives Rodgers the latitude to be very vocal in meetings. Rodgers believes in having “nice, open communication” and not having the coaches do all the talking. Rodgers said he puts his teammates on the spot by asking them questions during meetings.
Class is in session with Prof. Rodgers.
“There needs to be free-flowing conversation between the coaches and the players,” Rodgers said. “There needs to be feedback; you can call on guys. I’m allowed to do some of that stuff. I think it’s important so guys are paying attention and they can know that at any point, hey, you can get called on to answer a question about something.”
Rodgers’ new teammates are enjoying this interaction and are growing from it.
Uzomah said Rodgers is “opening up the playbook” and making sure everyone understands all the options within the plays and different ways he will get receivers the ball.
“It’s not just, ‘You’re running here, you’re running to a spot,’ and things of that nature,” Uzomah said. “It’s ‘hey, if I have this drop, you can do this. I’ll find you in this window.’
“Meetings are where we feel his presence the most. It’s not just someone talking to you. It’s we’re going to stop for a second and talk about this . . . just so that we’re all on the same page. It’s been awesome.”
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
