Aaron Rodgers Gives Reasoning For Minicamp Absence, Speculation

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers blamed "deceiving" language for his absence from the team's mandatory minicamp last month.

Rodgers, 40, appeared on Barstool Sports ' Pardon My Take podcast and claimed that the two-day minicamp operated with similar rules to the preceding voluntary OTAs.

“Now it’s not minicamp, they can arbitrarily put a [mandatory] tag on whatever week of OTAs that they want,” Rodgers said. “This is the ‘minicamp week,’ which makes it more mandatory than other weeks, but it’s an OTAs schedule. That’s how words can be a little deceiving. They can make a story about how I missed minicamp when it was really two OTA days. I came to the first 10.”

Last month, head coach Robert Saleh revealed that Rodgers, who had previously been present for the Jets' OTAs and other sessions, and linebacker Haason Reddick , who is holding out for a new contract, were both deemed as unexcused absences, telling reporters the quarterback was, instead, attending an event "that was very important to him."

"Aaron and I spoke before OTAs started," Saleh said via NFL.com . "He's been very good in communication. He's been here the entire time. It's inexcused, but he had an event that was very important to him, which he communicated."

Rodgers was acquired by the Jets after last offseason after 18 seasons with the Green Bay Packers, but limited to just four snaps before suffering a season-ending Achilles injury in his Jets debut last September.

"I feel really good," Rodgers said of his injury status last month via NFL.com . "It's just about the mental part. These practices have been nice the last couple of days. Feel what it's like to be out there, to be moving around, to not be thinking about it and see how I respond the next day. This is the last part.

"The strength is good, the movement is good, just the confidence to do everything."

Reddick, 29, was acquired by the Jets in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles in April and is in the final year of a three-year, $15 million deal he signed with the Eagles in 2022. The New Jersey native was selected to the Pro Bowl during each of the past two seasons and a second-team All-Pro in 2022.