Aaron Rodgers has been making waves with the New York Jets early on. This included a controversial exchange against the opposition in his debut against the New York Giants. The four-time NFL MVP made it abundantly clear that he hasn’t lost a single ounce of that fire in his belly since making the big move to New York.
Another thing that Rodgers hasn’t lost is the respect of his teammates. Regardless of the fact that he’s now with an entirely different squad, the 39-year-old has still done enough to earn the admiration of his peers.
Aaron Rodgers Voted New York Jets Captain
It was announced on Monday that the Jets had voted Rodgers as one of the three captains on the squad. He will be wearing the “C” patch on his uniform in his debut season with New York. This follows his decorated stint with the Green Bay Packers where he was also voted as captain 12 times in the 18 years he spent with the team.
Speaking of the Packers, one of Rodgers’ ex-teammates from Green Bay spoke out about the four-time All-Pro QB’s new designation in New York. Randall Cobb, who also joined the Jets this summer along with Rodgers, had nothing but high praise for his longtime teammate and friend:
“He’s one of the most special individuals I’ve been around,” said Cobb, via John Pullano of the team’s official website. “Very caring, very knowledgeable, puts in the time and effort to learn things he doesn’t know about. When people tell him something, he asks why. Thoughtful.”
Jets head coach Robert Saleh strongly agrees with the vote as well. He too had some good things to say about A-Rod based on the few months they have been together on the same team:
“Aaron has been fantastic, he really has,” Saleh said. “He’s been unbelievable with his voice, his messaging, his nurturing of the of the young guys around him.”
C.J. Mosley, Justin Hardee Also Named Captains for New York Jets
Apart from Rodgers, C.J. Mosley was also voted as the team captain for defense, while Justin Hardee will take the same post for special teams.
This is anything but new territory for Mosley, who will be captaining the defense for the fourth time in his Jets tenure. Nevertheless, last year’s winner of the Dennis Byrd Award for being the most inspirational player on the squad isn’t taking anything for granted:
“It means a lot, especially coming from my teammates,” Mosley said. “I don’t take the ‘C’ on my chest lightly. Every year that I come here, I make sure I work to earn that stripe. I make sure I put in the right work ethic and lead by example the right way. Make sure I am doing the right thing by everyone.”
Special teams coordinator Brant Boyer chimed in on the recent vote, and he did his bit in talking up Hardee’s credentials, who for his part, has been named captain for a third time:
“[Hardee] is a leader,” Boyer said. “He’s a professional, and if you would ask any coach in our division, any coach that we’ve played, they all say the same thing about the guy. He’s one hell of a player and he’s tough to stop and he always keeps going.”
It’s a big year ahead for New York and there will be some massive expectations on them. The good news is that they have the right people in the right places in terms of leading the charge for the entire squad.
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