New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers sure knows how to stir up controversy.
Commenting for the first time on his highly scrutinized absence from last month’s mandatory minicamp, Rodgers finally spoke up about training camp this week with Barstool Sports.
When asked about the date of training camp, the Jets quarterback stated it was the 23rd.
“Okay, and you’ll be there?”
Aaron Rodgers responded with, “Yeah, probably.”
He was then asked, “Where on earth could you go that would make you miss the start of training camp?”
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Rodgers replied: “I mean, anywhere.”
Later in the wide-ranging interview, Aaron Rodgers downplayed his missing OTA practices last month due to having a prior engagement.
Per ABC News:
“They can arbitrarily put a tag on whatever week of OTAs they want and say, ‘This is the minicamp week,’ which makes it somehow more mandatory than the other weeks,” Rodgers said on the latest episode of Barstool’s “Pardon My Take” podcast, which was published Monday morning. “But it was an OTA schedule. That’s how words can be a little deceiving from time to time. They can make a story out of the fact that I missed minicamp, but it was really two OTA days, but [I] came to the first 10.”
It would later be revealed that the 40-year-old missed OTAs to vacation in Egypt.
In the Barstool interview, he acknowledged he would likely be fined for the “unexcused” absence, saying, “Oh, I don’t know. I’m sure I’ll get fined for that.”
Rodgers, who tore his left Achilles on the fourth snap of the 2023 season, is coming into an all-important 2024 season where experts still view the Jets as a Super Bowl contender.
Aaron Rodgers Blamed ‘Deceiving’ Language on Unexcused New York Jets Absence
During an appearance on Pardon My Take, New York Jets star Aaron Rodgers downplayed his decision to take a personal trip to Egypt and miss the Jets mandatory minicamp in June.
Rodgers contrasted the offseason schedule now with what it used to be when he played for the Green Bay Packers.
“Now it’s not minicamp, they can arbitrarily put a [mandatory] tag on whatever week of OTAs that they want,” Rodgers said on an episode of “Pardon My Take” that aired Monday, according to on3.com.
“This is the ‘minicamp week,’ which makes it more mandatory than other weeks, but it’s an OTAs schedule. That’s how words can be a little deceiving. They can make a story about how I missed minicamp when it was really two OTA days. I came to the first 10.”
Jets head coach Robert Saleh stated last month Rodgers was one of two players to have an unexcused absence from minicamp.
However, he went on to downplay the significance.
“Aaron and I are on the exact same page,” he told reporters at the time. “There’s no issue between Aaron or his teammates, for that matter. We addressed it yesterday. It’s more of an issue for everyone outside the building than it is inside. That’s about it.”
