A grumpy and vengeful Aaron Rodgers will be in his happy place with the Jets
The long national nightmare is over. Aaron Rodgers has made his decision.
After 15 seasons as the Green Bay Packers starter, the quarterback is set to be traded to the New York Jets. He confirmed as much on Wednesday afternoon, although the teams have not yet agreed on terms of the deal.
It was typical of Rodgers to make everyone wait, to have everyone hanging on his word. But speaking on the Pat McAfee show, Rodgers unloaded on the Packers. They showed a lack of respect, he said. There was double talk. They didn’t give him – or his ex-teammates – dignity in their exits. He placed the blame for the impending divorce on the team’s new management structure. “I like direct communication,” he told McAfee. This, remember, from a man who entered into four days of darkness with no phone service a few weeks before the start of free agency.
But this is Rodgers in his happy place. Grumpy. Indignant. Vindictive.
It sounds dopey, but the best-ofthe-best find – or create – any sort of slight to use as fuel. At the peak of his powers, Michael Jordan would call local pizza parlors so he could hear a local voice in his head while laying waste to opponents on the road. For the better part of 10 years, Rodgers used the fact that he went to a junior college and slipped down the 2005 draft to flatten a league that had doubted him.
Overlooked. Dismissed. Doubted.
That’s been the narrative that has powered Rodgers’ career.
“When I went into the darkness I was 90% sure I was retiring,” Rodgers told McAfee on Wednesday. “I sat one
day in darkness contemplating that I was retired and one day that I was not.” When Rodgers left his retreat, he heard stories that the Packers were shopping him around the league, his story goes.
Fresh doubters. More people to prove wrong.
In truth, Rodgers has probably never forgiven the Packers for drafting his replacement, Jordan Love, in 2020. No matter that Rodgers has lived through this before. Back in the Brett Favre days, he was in Love’s shoes: the organization itching to move on to the young guy as the old hand continued to hang around, forcing the team into an annual soap opera.
Anger turned to resentment – on both sides. The Packers have made it clear that this is not Rodgers’ choice. They’rethe ones ready to move on, they claim. They’re done with the headaches and the melodrama. They want to give Love a chance. He’s the future.
Divorces do not typically have a single inciting incident. People tend to get tired of each other, the little things add up – the way they brush their teeth; the dishes stacked up in the sink. Over the years, the Packers have grown weary of Rodgers’ antics. There’s always something: the ayahuasca, the darkness, asking teammates whether they thought 9-11 was an inside job, being immunized v vaccinated, holding on to over-the-hill players because they’re buddies with the quarterback. Even when Rodgers was the reigning back-to-back MVP, the Packers entertained trade offers, before making him the richest quarterback in the league.
But Rodgers was fed up, too. Fed up with looking over his shoulder at the player the organization truly wanted to build around. Fed up with the team trying to straddle two worlds: preparing for his departure while trying to put together a competitive roster for one final shot at a championship. “This conversation would have happened a lot sooner if I didn’t win back-to-back MVPs,” Rodgers said on Wednesday.
It’s a break-up that’s best for both sides. Moving on from a face-of-thefranchise-type star too early hurts, but not nearly as badly as waiting too long. Ask the Saints. Or the Steelers. Or the Giants. In moving on from Rodgers, the Packers have ripped the Band-Aid off early.
Rodgers will head to New York – for now. Who knows for how long he will play? A year? Two? Six weeks? Six hours? None? With Rodgers, anything is possible. We’ve never had a quarterback enter the Tyson Zone. There is no popup notification that could ding on your phone right now that you would not believe. Rodgers announces candidacy for Senate! Rodgers to host a six-part series: Aaron’s Conspiracy Hour! Rodgers to experiment with ‘live burial’ therapy! Rodgers aiming to play until 60, considering body transplant!
The Jets will live through the inevitable storms for a shot at winning it all. Rodgers immediately becomes the best quarterback in franchise history.
His powers may be dwindling, but even as he nears 40, Rodgers remains capable of pushing a talented Jets core into championship contention.
It’s fair to wonder how much thisversion of Rodgers tips their championship odds, though. Rodgers is trading in the lackluster NFC for a loaded AFC. He goes from being one of the best quarterbacks in his conference to the second-best in his division. How many quarterbacks in the AFC would you take ahead of Rodgers right now? Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, and Josh Allen are sure things. What about Justin Herbert? Lamar Jackson (depending on where he’s playing)? Trevor Lawrence if he continues to improve? Peak Rodgers sits on the top shelf alongside the Big Three. The Rodgers of 2022 probably sits somewhere in the six-to-nine range.
For the Jets, that should be enough. If they had even average quarterback play last season, they’d have given the Bills a race in the AFC East. They have one of the most talent-laden defenses in the NFL. On offense, they’re filled with young stars desperate for a competent quarterback. Now, the team is close to acquiring a four-time MVP with a point to prove and a huge chip on his shoulder.
The move will reunite Rodgers with Nathaniel Hackett – the Rodgers whisperer. Hackett was the offensive coordinator who helped bridge the gap between Packers head coach Matt LaFleur and Rodgers. With Hackett playing the role of middle-man, he pushed Rodgers into buying LaFleur’s system, turning the off-script artist into someone willing to embrace structure. Rodgers won back-to-back MVPs hitting all the open throws in the offense and creating two or three moments of magic a game – rather than trying to put the team on his back on every given play.
Last season, with Hackett flailing in Denver, Rodgers reverted to his worst instincts. The Packers’ offense flatlined.
Rodgers was one problem among many, but he was a problem. He has oscillated wildly between someone who wants to play within the system and someone indulging his hero-ball tendencies. When the Packers’ offense devolved into Rodgers v the world, it sputtered. What were once features of his game became flaws. By the season’s end, he ranked 25th among eligible quarterbacks on throws of 20-yards or more, an area where he typically outpaces the field.
Defenders will point to a thumb injury. Detractors will point to the ageing process of quarterbacks. Rodgers will soon be 40. When quarterbacks go downhill, they go downhill fast. Their arm strength vanishes from one season to the next. Matt Ryan was an above-average starter in 2021; by 2022 he was struggling to get the ball 10 yards down the field. A drop in deepball accuracy is typically the first sign that The End Times are near.
But Rodgers isn’t just any quarterback. There were signs of the player Rodgers could become in his 40s last year. When the ball came out quickly, when he operated the offense rather than freelancing, the Packers’ offense still worked.
It’s a question only Rodgers can answer: is he willing to adapt? Rodgers hasn’t been a rhythm-based, Tom Brady-like thrower for the bulk of his career. At his best, he’s been an off-script savant, someone who conjures offense when it seems like there shouldn’t be any. That’s been his magic, but as his legs start to fade and his arm deteriorates, he will need to adjust.
The Jets are all set to win. They have the defense. They have the weapons on offense. They have a savvy coaching staff. They have the assets to add even more pieces between now and the start of the season. If Rodgers is willing to accept the player he is today rather than the one he once was, then they should be a contender in the AFC. If he doesn’t? Gulp.
By adding a soon-to-be 40-yearold, the Jets have shifted their championship window from five years to – perhaps – 24 months. They’re also welcoming the tumult that follows Rodgers everywhere.
If things get off to a slow start, how long before the pouting and fingerpointing and blame-shifting and threats of retirement envelope the building? The New York media are not the beast they were 20 years ago, but they won’t be as accommodating as hometown reporters in Green Bay.
Rodgers’ latest strop-fest is over – for now. See you in 12 months.
and has enviable raw materials: skill, strength, charisma, fearlessness and spectacular pace. If he starts adding assists away from home, starting at Villa Park, Bournemouth’s survival hopes will look even better. Rob Smyth
Premier League: Aston Villa v Bournemouth, Saturday 3pm
7) Foxes must focus at Brentford
Brendan Rodgers has set Leicester a target: finish top of the nineteam mini-league that currently makes up the tightest, least-predictable relegation battle in years. They have the personnel to do it but on current form ending up one place above the drop zone would feel like a relief. A calamitous run of four straight league defeats has undone much of the good work in beating Spurs and Aston Villa; the only mitigation for Rodgers might be that three of those reverses came against Manchester United, Arsenal and an improving Chelsea. Concentration has been an issue for the Foxes’ players, according to Rodgers, and they will need it against a Brentford side that will punish the slightest dozingoff. Brentford bounced back admirably from the termination of their unbeaten run by defeating Southampton and can still legitimately dream of Europe. Nick Ames
Premier League: Brentford v Leicester, Saturday 3pm
8) Shot-shy Saints have time to escape
Usually, by mid-March, at least one team has been cut adrift at the bottom of the Premier League. This year only five points separate the bottom eight teams, so every game has the potential to change a season. Southampton will start the weekend in 20th, yet could finish it as high as 15th. First, they need to score a goal. Southampton have played well at times under Rubén Sellés, collecting seven points in five games, but have only scored twice. There were times in Wednesday’s home defeat by Brentford that they looked like a team who had been told the game would go to the judges, rather than be decided by who scored the most goals. Southampton haven’t had a proper goalscorer since Danny Ings and their main weapon is James Ward-Prowse’s free-kicks. But with other parts of their game in decent order, Southampton know that a slight increase in efficiency could have a profound impact. Rob Smyth
Premier League: Southampton v Tottenham, Saturday 3pm 9) An early six-pointer at Molineux
Down in 19th and a point from safety, even the most serene Leeds fan must be reaching for the panic button. But Javi Gracia will know that come the end of the weekend, his team could be as high as 14th if results go his way. Since taking over from Jesse Marsch the Spaniard has procured four points from three games – as many as his predecessor managed in 10. Perhaps this is a sign that things are improving, and a sharper looking Patrick Bamford is cause for optimism, but the same problems at the back cost them a win against Brighton and pointed to a deeper malaise within the squad. They’ll be without the injured Tyler Adams at Molineux– the midfielder leaves a big hole and Wolves will want to take advantage, though they’ve got problems of their own. They’re the joint-lowest scorers with just 20 goals and are stuck in a survival battle as a consequence. Daniel Gallan
Premier League: Wolves v Leeds, Saturday 3pm
10) Intrigue if not thrills at the Bridge
After three wins in a row – following three scoreless defeats in a row – it might just be that Chelsea, and Graham Potter, have turned the corner. Just as all three defeats featured a 4-2-3-1 formation, all three wins have come by way of a 3-4-3 setup that – for now at least – looks the best way of hiding the squad’s faults while highlighting its strengths. However, this will not be lost on Sean Dyche, whose side have also improved recently – their past seven games have yielded three wins and a draw – thanks in significant part to a blanketing five-man midfield that looks perfect for spoiling any plans Chelsea might have of participating in a game of football. Of course class may tell in the end, but for as long as the score remains goalless, Everton will be well in what promises to be the most compelling but least entertaining game of the weekend. Daniel Harris
Premier League: Chelsea v Everton,
Saturday 5.30pm 11) Vieira out of time before Arsenal return
Some of us are old enough to remember the night in October 2021 when Patrick Vieira’s Crystal Palace outplayed Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal for long spells at the Emirates and were unfortunate to draw. Some of us even recall lightly dangling the case for Vieira to be a more plausible Arsenal manager than Arteta. Fifteen months are a long time in football and on Sunday, Palace head to the Emirates without a manager, Vieira having been cast aside on Friday. It is hard to pinpoint where things have gone wrong for Palace, who can still impress on their day but have won none of their last 12 and will be scrapping for their lives unless a new coach can change things quickly. . Time has run out for Vieira just before Sunday’s return to his former club – and a subsequent run of fixture against rivals in the relegation battle. NA
Premier League: Arsenal v Crystal Palace, Sunday 2pm
This piece has been updated to reflect Patrick Vieira’s sacking on Friday
when it was toughest. Every year since then, I’ve learned to deal with it better.”
Certainly the life of a jockey – particularly a very tall one – is not for the faint-hearted. Each morning, before mucking out and an early ride, Andrews has a coffee, then yoghurt with fruit and granola – “to be fair I’d have that even if I wasn’t dieting as I really like that”. Lunch is “a Belvita bar with a banana and maybe a yoghurt pot”. For dinner he will have another bar and some protein – chicken or fish.
It is the same every day – “yeah, I try to keep everything very similar” – and there is no alcohol at all, although he does permit himself a chocolate Hobnob with a cup of tea in the evenings. There is also a “cheat meal” once a week – “I am quite partial to a curry on a Saturday night”.
“It’s a constant struggle,” he said. “I wouldn’t go an hour through the day where I don’t think about what my weight’s like or what I’m going to eat next. So the only reason I do it is because I love it. And the minute I stop, I would definitely stop the diet.”
Perhaps surprisingly, Andrews said he did not believe his frame was a disadvantage once he was in the saddle. “If anything, I have a bit of an advantage in that I can wrap my legs around horses better than some people can.” That can help with balance and control, he said.
“If you’re very short, you’re sometimes perched on top of their back and they can get the better of you. Whereas if you’re a big lad you can … not manhandle the horse, but you’re definitely on more of a level playing field with them.
“Its harder to look neat and tidy, like some other riders, but I pride myself on trying to be as neat and tidy as possible and not look out of place.”
With 34 wins in 297 rides over the past five years, “I’d like to think that my riding is proving my capability now,” he said. “I hope people see me as a good rider, rather than someone that’s just tall.” His total earnings in 2021-22, a career best, were £249,950.
Andrews has ridden at Cheltenham festival several times but never won there – unlike his sisters. Sadly his first ride on Thursday on the 20-1 shot Anightinlambourn in the Kim Muir handicap chase did not change his luck. He will have another chance on Friday, riding Not That Fuisse at 4.10pm.