Aaron Rodgers is great at talking the talk, but we haven’t seen him walk the walk since he injured himself in Week 1 of the 2023 season.
Hitting the field for the first time against a team that is the favorite to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl after narrowly losing to Patrick Mahomes last season is no easy task.
But when you have a contender for GOAT quarterback at the helm and he’s been implying that he’s going to bring his A game from the start of the season, losing 32-19 is not the start New York Jets fans desired.
Aaron Rodgers Just Average In First Start Of Season For New York Jets
Don’t expect the Jets to win many games when Rodgers musters just 167 yards passing, as he did on Monday night in his second Jets debut. The positive twist is that he made it through the game unscathed and the team’s upcoming games against the likes of Tennessee, New England and Denver are very winnable.
NFL analyst Troy Aiman wasn’t impressed with the Jets, but he isn’t panicking.
“(Rodgers) was not able to get into a rhythm, but it had less to do with the Jets and Aaron Rodgers and more to do with the 49ers,” Aikman said in the postgame analysis. “This was a humbling night for the New York Jets, no doubt. To not play better than they did is pretty deflating.”
Rodgers, the new-look Jets and their vaunted defense deserved all of the social media ridicule.
The history of losing and coming up short is one that Jets fans know well, so if they are going to deliver typical Jets performances Rodgers will find out quickly that even when he succeeds, the stench of his association with Gang Green will be irremovable.
It’s only Week 1 and the competition was as good as it gets, so there should be plenty of optimism with the Jets, and it’s safe to say that A-Rod has some rust to work off and more chemistry to develop with No. 1 target Garrett Wilson and other receivers.
Fans Livid That Aaron Rodgers Didn’t Finish Opening Game Against 49ers
Some fans expressed anger that Rodgers was pulled with almost four minutes left in the game. They felt that Rodgers should have used every minute of the game to build camaraderie and chemistry going into a very winnable game against the Titans next week. Maybe they were being a bit emotional about the loss, but the venom toward A-Rod was evident.
“The @nyjets are ass. @AaronRodgers12 quit on his team tonight,” wrote one X user. “Can’t even finish week 1?? So pathetic. A real teammate would go back in and continue to work on the game plan as it’s obvious they didn’t practice enough. Losers.”
Seeing Rodgers on the sidelines, clapping, looking smug while the game slipped away and backup Tyrod Taylor led the Jets on a garbage time scoring drive, incensed some fans.
A-Rod’s Act Wearing Thin Already In New York?
Aaron Rodgers is considered one of the characters and legends of the game. He’s been pretty much allowed to say and do what he wants — whether it be attacking the government, discussing the authenticity of vaccinations or accusing Dr. Fauci of being corrupt and lying to the public — his various conspiracy theories are an accepted part of his persona.
There are many other odd beliefs and behaviors Rodgers has exhibited since arriving in New York and gassing up Jets fans that he would be the savior to deliver the franchise’s first Super Bowl since Joe Namath on Jan. 12, 1969.
Patience is a virtue, but 55 years without a Super Bowl appearance doesn’t afford this ready-to-win team and head coach Robert Saleh much grace.
Rodgers’ Mr. Untouchable act was already wearing thin on the NFL community prior to this inauspicious beginning to the season. Maybe he didn’t realize that when he signed to come to the Jets he signed on for a colossal task of not just winning but changing the entire culture and public perception of the franchise.
Related: Aaron Rodgers Turned To Psychedelic Drugs To Be A Better Teammate, And It Worked
Nobody is giving the Jets the benefit of the doubt, and those Aaron Rodgers haters will pile it on even more until he gives the NFL world a reason to respect a franchise that hasn’t been able to get out of its own way in decades. Talking with confidence and taking things in stride won’t create wins, and neither will throwing teammates under the bus. This is the season we really get to see what A-Rod is made of.
