Aaron Rodgers and I had a complicated relationship. And it’s not really a relationship. It’s not very complicated either.
I met him once. I never interviewed him, never spoke to him on the phone. In 2016, he called me out on my analysis of the Packers’ problems and warned the audience not to waste their time reading such crap. In 2021, I took strong issue with his “I’m vaccinated” puns with reporters.
But that’s all in the past. It’s water under the bridge. Bygone days of bygone days. I like Aaron Rodgers at the moment.
Yes, I said it. I like this guy who plays for the Jets.
He is happy. He’s easygoing. He loves his teammates. He loves the game. He is very aware that he is reaching his final football laps around the sun.
Is it an act? At first I thought he was overdoing it as a middle finger to the Packers front office. I think he’s just really happy with the direction his life and career has taken, and it shows.
Maybe it was the change of scenery. Maybe it was the hours in a dark closet. Whatever the case, the new Aaron Rodgers is almost as likable as Fred Rogers.
Chris Simms and I discussed the dynamic on PFT Live on Thursday. Humans can change, grow and develop. Rodgers has. Maybe I have that too.
Regardless, I hope he and the Jets do well this year. I know Bills, Dolphins and Patriots fans may not appreciate this, but I can’t help my feelings.
And I feel completely different about Aaron Rodgers right now than I have in a long time. Of course, it could be that he has the same feelings for me as always. But that’s okay. He is hardly the first and hardly the last.
Furthermore, why is it necessary that we dislike the people who dislike us? This “I will only be nice to you if you are nice to me” stuff needs to end. It’s okay to be nice to those who aren’t nice to us and to like those who don’t like us.
I like Aaron Rodgers at the moment.
Maybe it was something I ate.