The unexcused absence of Aaron Rodgers from New York Jets minicamp has been called out by former New England Patriots star Julian Edelman - who admitted a similar situation never occurred with Tom Brady .
The 40-year-old quarterback is preparing for his return to action after he was ruled out for the season on a debut to forget for the Jets in 2023. After snapping his Achilles just four snaps into his maiden appearance for his new employers, the veteran will be hoping to make a more significant impact in his second year at MetLife Stadium.
However, the future Hall of Famer's recent no-show for the minicamp June 11-13 did inspire strong reactions among the NFL community. Among those who were left unimpressed as Rodgers missed the camp unspecified previous commitments is ex-Patriots stalwart Edelman.
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Speaking to Colin Cowherd, the three-time Super Bowl victor admitted that he felt the superstar's actions had set a poor example to his teammates. Recalling his own playing days, he said: "I think it’s a bad look for your leader, for whatever reason, to go and miss [a mandatory minicamp]. I was with Tom Brady in his 25th year or 23rd year, and he started missing OTAs here and there, but he never missed a mandatory minicamp. I just thought it was a bad look."
"I’m a big Aaron Rodgers fan, but if I was in that locker room, and Aaron Rodgers wasn’t there for three days on the mandatory minicamp, having played four snaps off of an injury when we have two new receivers, a bunch of new linemen that we added to the team, with a CBA that doesn’t allow us to practice a lot, I guarantee there’s four or five guys — six, seven, eight, nine guys in that locker room — sitting there like, 'Where’s he at?'"
In words that may prove prophetic, Edelman also warned that the four-time NFL MVP may have inadvertently put the pressure on himself to deliver in the coming campaign. He said: God forbid the New York Jets start 1-3 at the beginning of the season, which they start with the Niners, Tennessee, Patriots and someone else regardless [the Broncos].
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"We all know the Patriots are no good, but that defense is still the same defense, and that’s who Aaron goes against. If they go 1-3, this is going to be such a big distraction for that locker room," he further predicted, as he added: "Because everyone is going to be talking about it."
Despite the ensuing storm which has developed around Rodgers' minicamp absence, it does appear that Jets head coach Robert Saleh is remaining calm about the situation. With Haason Reddick also not showing for the camp for unspecified reasons, the coach gave a diplomatic response on the subject.
Revealing his stance, Saleh asserted: "Aaron and I are on the exact same page. There's no issue between Aaron or his teammates, for that matter. We addressed it yesterday. It's more of an issue for everyone outside the building than it is inside."
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