Most of Tuesday morning was the NFL’s Widescreen Football Talk in Eagan, Minnesota. Questions abounded at league owners’ meetings as to whether kickoffs were for game ejection. when the Washington Commanders were finally sold; and how long would Commissioner Roger Goodell continue in his duties as the highest-paid manager in the history of the sport?
It was the typical big picture floating around at the meetings. And all it took to sweep it out of the news headline was Aaron Rodgers going to New York Jets practice without a helmet. Just like that, Jets Panic – which deserves a WebMD page at this point – grabbed every corner of social media.
Why doesn’t Rodgers take on passers-by? does he limp? What happened? is this serious
If you wanted an up-close look at what this Rodgers stint with the Jets will be like, then this is for you. After quelling the euphoria over last month’s Green Bay Packers trade, it was a dose of raw reality that showed what it felt like to put so much pressure on a 39-year-old quarterback. The good times for Jets fans may be as exciting as they could have hoped, but the inevitable bumps along the way are slowed by fear. And all it takes to get going is Rodgers showing virtually every element of an issue. Even one as simple as what a team source described as “nothing” and a “slight strain in his calf.”
“I just worked my calf in the little pre-workout conditioning and decided to do a day at the vet,” Rodgers told reporters after the workout.
When asked what he was doing when the injury struck, Rodgers replied, “I don’t know. I guess I’m just running.”
New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers missed practice Tuesday after suffering what he called a calf injury. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
That answer was mostly relevant because reporters watched Rodgers stretch his calf after an exercise in which he lunged while holding a medicine ball — a warm-up routine Rodgers noted was unlike anything he’d done in his career . He stayed on the field after the injury, which is typically an indication that the injury was not severe enough to require immediate therapy.
However, the reaction of much of the Jets fan base was hardly so muted. Memes from Zach Wilson followed, an avalanche of Twitter moans about the cursed Jets, and some predictable laments about New York giving up next season’s first-round draft pick if Rodgers only has 65% of offensive snaps in 2023 plays.
It wasn’t all that absurd, of course. Wilson is just one Rodgers injury away from becoming the Jets’ No. 1 quarterback again. This is as inevitable as it is frightening for parts of the fan base. But while we’re talking about Wilson, it’s worth noting that he reportedly had a good workout when he took over Rodgers’ reps on Tuesday. As for the curse thing, well, there’s been no shortage of best plans that have utterly failed the Jets over the past several decades. So this emotional black cloud is at least understandable.
But perhaps the most important point in the overall fan reaction is the 65% offensive snap threshold, which is always the first thing that comes to mind when Rodgers suffers any kind of injury. If there’s any point of frustration in the Rodgers trade that will continue to surface in the coming months, it’s the low hurdle of giving the Packers a first-round pick once Rodgers hits that benchmark. If he doesn’t snap enough, Green Bay will only get a second-rounder from the Jets. The risk associated with this asset is as real as it gets, and the Jets must take every precaution not to upset Rodgers. And that might include doing lower-body warm-ups that his 39-year-old joints aren’t used to. God forbid Rodgers injured his knee jumping around with the med ball. Half of New Jersey would have descended on the Florham Park facility with pitchforks and torches. That’s how much the fan community invests in the success of this whole thing.
This buy-in will also be intriguing for Rodgers’ experience in New York over the next few months (or years). Even among the many NFL fan bases that experience wild mood swings about the team or a specific player, there are few who can match the ups and downs of New York, let alone the breakneck speed at which the ups are moving in the depth can sink. It’s less of a roller coaster ride and more of a shuttle launch into space, followed by a rapid descent back to Earth.
Never more than in 2023, when the team logo might as well be a seat belt. That’s what the Jets signed up for. This is what the vast majority of the fandom has been asking for. And it’s pretty much what we expected when Rodgers’ marriage to the Jets materialized. A flood of news that can eclipse the rest of the league’s fairly important business… and that’s on a Tuesday in May, no less.
Welcome to the preview. Just wait for the real circus to arrive at the training camp.