Feeling no cam-pain
Saleh: Gang Green didn’t sweat reports of Rodgers’ potential veep candidacy
ORLANDO, Fla. — The Jets expect Aaron Rodgers to be in Florham Park this fall and not on the campaign trail.
Jets owner Woody Johnson, general manager Joe Douglas and coach Robert Saleh spoke at the NFL’s league meetings on Monday for the first time since it was reported that Rodgers, the Jets quarterback, was the potential pick of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for his running mate in the upcoming presidential election.
Saleh was asked for his reaction to that news.
“I didn’t have one,” Saleh said. It sounds like the Jets never viewed Rodgers entering the political realm as a serious possibility.
“I think it was viewed a little bit differently in the political world than it was, at least in our world,” Saleh said.
Douglas joked about Rodgers bringing some of the new Jets offensive linemen with him to Washington.
“I hope he feels like he has some candidates for Director of Homeland Security, Secretary of Defense, now that we’ve fortified the O-line,” Douglas said. “When all that was getting out there, I was focused on nothing but improving the team. I didn’t take it very seriously.”
Johnson said the Jets are “concentrating on football,” and are excited to get Rodgers back.
“Getting Aaron back, I know he’s excited to be back,” Johnson said. “He’s roaring to go. It’s going to be something really interesting to watch.”
Rodgers is in California, still rehabbing from the Achilles injury that cost him the 2023 season. Saleh said Rodgers is motivated to make his return in 2024.
“Aaron, I know he’s on a mission,” Saleh said. “I don’t want to speak for him. He’s working his tail off out in California. He’s communicating with us, I won’t say daily but often. Knowing Aaron, he’s on a mission to do a lot of things that he wanted to do last year and he’s not going to stop until he gets it done.”
The Jets will begin their offseason program next month. Saleh said the expectation is that Rodgers will be cleared by the doctors to participate.
“I’m expecting him to be available for spring,” Saleh said. “You guys know OTAs have become a seven-on-seven camp so he should be able to do all that stuff. As we get closer, which we are in the next couple of weeks, we’ll communicate more with him.”