The New York Jets do not have a wide-open window in which to compete for a Super Bowl. Of course, any appearance in the postseason in the near future would be considered a huge success since the last time they made the NFL Playoffs was in 2010. That being said, hopes are high this season due to the return of four-time NFL MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who tore his Achilles early in Week One last year.
Rodgers, as everyone knows, is one of the most polarizing players in all of sports, let alone the NFL. His opinions on subjects outside of football are what one could call unique and deviate from the mainstream. These views, whether they be on politics, science, or philosophy, have drawn even more attention to the future Pro Football Hall of Famer, something that one former coach thinks he loves.
Former New York Jets Head Coach Eric Mangini Accuses Aaron Rodgers of Not Caring About His Teammates
It has been made abundantly clear throughout the offseason and preseason that former Jets head coach Eric Mangini is not really a fan of his former team’s starting quarterback. A couple of weeks ago, he railed against Rodgers for embarrassing Robert Saleh over the decision that the 40-year-old quarterback would not play in the NFL preseason.
On Thursday, Mangini and former Rodgers teammate Greg Jennings discussed whether or not the four-time NFL MVP should play in preseason games. Jennings, who won Super Bowl XLV with Rodgers, believes that his former teammate should.
So does Mangini, who said, “The thing that you’re talking about is the greater good.”
He then went on a rant about how Rodgers does not really care about his teammates:
“And he doesn’t care. He doesn’t care. He doesn’t care about the other 10 guys.
“He cares about himself. And with Tom Brady, Tom was coachable, Tom wanted to be coached, and even though Tom was the greatest at that position, he was open to ideas that could make him better. But for Aaron, he’s just going to do whatever he wants to do, whatever is best for him – you other 10 guys, it’s not good for you, not good for the coaching staff, not good for anybody else. It doesn’t matter, because it’s just about him.”
It should be noted that Rodgers’ teammates on the Jets enjoy playing with him.
Is New York Jets Quarterback Aaron Rodgers Really a Bad Teammate?
Rodgers is many things, a great football player being the most noteworthy at the moment. However, to suggest that he is a bad teammate is to ignore the countless great things others who have played with him have said about him.
One only has to look to the Green Bay Packers and Jordan Love, who was drafted in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft to eventually take his place. Rodgers could have treated Love with disdain, much like Brett Favre treated him when he was drafted in 2005. While the pick did ruin Rodgers’ relationship with the Packers’ front office, he did not take out his frustrations on his successor.
Instead, he took Love under his wing and helped develop him into the player that he is today.
Former Packers backup quarterback Brett Hundley also spoke highly of Rodgers during a 2023 interview:
“Aaron was a true leader and a great person at that. He had us over to his house, and he spent time with all of us. Spent Thanksgiving with him at his house. Holidays. He was a really awesome teammate.
“Thank you for letting me speak on that because I see all that stuff come out, and I’m like, ‘Nah.’ That’s not true. I still talk to Aaron to this day; that’s my brother.”
As is the case in any workplace, there are co-workers that simply just cannot get along, and an NFL locker room is no different. The vast majority of Rodgers’ teammates, both current and former, have had the highest of praise for him as a teammate and person.
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