A former teammate — and sometime critic of Aaron Rodgers — says he believes the 40-year-old quarterback might be set to have an enormous yr for the Jets.
Former Green Bay Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings, who won a Super Bowl with Rodgers in 2011, said the star quarterback’s comments during OTA’s on Tuesday show he knows how vital this season is for him — and the complete Jets’ organization.
“If I don’t do what I do know I’m able to doing, we’re all probably going to be out of here,”Rodgers told The Post’s Brian Costello and other reporters regarding his future with the Jets, while also referring to the tenures of coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas likely coming to an end if the team struggles. “I like that form of pressure, though. It’s a troublesome market to play in. It’s not for everyone. I relish that chance.”
Jennings said on “The Carton Show” Wednesday those pointed comments show Rodgers is taking personal accountability for the team, and that would mean trouble for the remaining of the NFL since he’s at his best when he’s totally “locked in.”
“Listening to Aaron Rodgers say what he said, the league is in trouble,” Jennings told Craig Carton, who was formerly with WFAN, and the opposite show’s panelists. “When he has this mentality, there’s nobody higher. … I do know he’s 40, I do know he’s coming off of injury. But when [he has] this mindset, with how great he’s — he’s certainly one of the neatest quarterbacks, he’s going to be an important decision-maker — if his [physical] ability remains to be there, and he’s taking this posture, be careful.”
Rodgers and Jennings were teammates for seven seasons from 2006-12, the last five during which Rodgers was the starting quarterback.
Jennings made the Pro Bowl in 2010 and ’11.
This evaluation from Jennings, who retired from the NFL in 2016 after 10 seasons, comes from a former teammate who has criticized Rodgers prior to now for his lack of leadership and poor play.
In 2022, Jennings said Rodgers was mistaken to publicly rip his teammates on “The Pat McAfee Show” when things weren’t going well at the tip of his time with Green Bay, and that he might be playing higher, too.
“You possibly can’t do that,” Jennings said, based on Carmen Vitali of Fox Sports. “You possibly can’t sit down on a show and begin talking about who should and shouldn’t be playing due to mental errors.”
