Quarterback Aaron Rodgers of the Jets Expresses His Persistent Desire to Win and Dominate
‘Every Great Team Needs Character, and Characters’
This week, the four-time NFL MVP echoed his coach’s sentiments while speaking with Eric Allen on “The Official Jets Podcast,” stating, “We’re all on a mission if you’re highly competitive, if not what the hell are we doing? I’m on a mission to win and to dominate. Winning is a team stat, it takes a team to win in all three phases, 11 guys. Domination can be a little more individual, it can be done by the offensive or defensive teams. There’s a lot of that; domination can come from work and the mindset you put in. It’s always my goal to win and to dominate.”
Rodgers faced a setback in Week 1 when he tore his Achilles tendon just four plays into the game against Buffalo on “Monday Night Football.” Despite the challenging recovery journey, he aimed to return to the field before the season’s end. With the Jets eliminated from playoff contention in mid-December, Rodgers was activated from Injured Reserve, marking his return to the practice field at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. During those crucial weeks, one of his objectives was to “dominate” as the scout team QB, engaging with the first-team defense.
“I’ve always loved running a scout team,” he said. “I grew up running a scout team. When I came into the league, I was the backup [to Brett Favre in Green Bay] for three years. I made that my Super Bowl every single week. How can I get the defense ready and light them up? I wanted to dominate practice. How can I inspire my teammates to go out there and ball out, and what things can we do to get the defense play hard, a little bit tougher. This year, with not being able to play it was kind of my opportunity. It was fun, I genuinely love to practice, I genuinely love to compete. If anybody watched practice, there were a bunch of highlights.”
The revelation came directly from Sauce Gardner, the Jets’ two-time Pro Bowl cornerback, who emphasized that Rodgers’ brief stint with the scout team was nothing short of remarkable.
“Going against Aaron when he’s on the scout team, you’re like, ‘Man, I wish we had this guy,’ ” Gardner said. “The throws that he makes, he threw a comeback right on me. They ran seams and he threw a no-look back shoulder only where the receiver could catch it and it’s like dang.”
Looking forward to the 2024 season, there are renewed expectations. However, Rodgers expressed a sense of nostalgia as he reflected on the missed opportunities of the past season that were cut short before they could fully materialize. Recalling the anticipation leading up to his first regular-season game with the Jets, he was prepared for the next chapter of his NFL career.
“The excitement, you could feel in the building … unbelievable,” he said, referring, of course, to MetLife Stadium. “I remember the feeling driving into the stadium, to see the parking lot packed to the gills, tailgating, rocking jerseys. Being in the tunnel handing out American flags, I’d never run out of the tunnel with anything but my helmet. Wow, how do you hold it together? I get through the smoke, the level of excitement and cheering was unbelievable. We have to recreate that and we will. Jets fans are a great lot, they want this so badly. We have to give them a reason to believe, and I think we will.”
And then, one inopportune step on the turf.
“It’s a tough way to live, but you can’t live with regrets and second guessing, but we’re human,” he said. “You think about what could have been if I hadn’t had that one awkward step on the fourth play of the game, thrown to the left, or adjusted the play. What could have been different? It’s a tough path to go down, I think we all do on some level. We love greatly, we question greatly, and we judge ourselves. I’m thankful for the experience, thankful for this year in a lot of ways. I’m broken-hearted about it, but I think both those things can exist at the same time.”
Having earned considerable respect and camaraderie with his new teammates, Rodgers, following his injury, headed back to his hometown in California to commence his recovery. He reappeared at 1 Jets Drive in November, engaging in some pre-game field activities and positioning himself on the sideline, connected via a headset. Returning to the familiar environment where he has thrived for numerous years, he was content to be back with his teammates, soaking in the atmosphere.
“Every great team I’ve been a part of has been high character, through that you create chemistry and bonds, chemistry is important,” he said. “Not just high character, you want characters. Those ‘personality’ guys that bring levity. There are guys who are quiet and lead by example, like C.J. [Mosley]. Big personalities like Q. Jeff [Quinton Jefferson] and the [Joe] Tippmanns of the world. Sauce, Jermaine [Johnson] and lead by example guys, like D.J. [Reed], Laken [Tomlinson], AVT [Alijah Vera-Tucker]. And you need your jokesters, JFM [John Franklin-Myers], [Solomon] Thomas.
“We need more of those guys, more character and more characters. I think the organization does a really great job in that, Robert [Saleh] in his belief in how the locker room creates an environment where guys feel comfortable in themselves and when they do it allows these guys to be characters. I love the freedom that Robert and [GM] Joe [Douglas] have created with the locker room.”
Rodgers concluded with a message for his teammates — and for Jets fans to guide them through the offseason.
“This business is what have you done for me lately?” he said. “And winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing, it’s true what Vince Lombardi said. Anything that has nothing to do with really winning on the field needs to be eliminated, from the conversation from the locker room, from the practice field, from the comments in the media and that’s how we grow as an organization.
“When we can understand that everything we do at the facility matters — habits, practice and study — that’s how you become a winning organization and culture. Stop worrying about all the stuff that doesn’t matter, the most important thing is winning, and everything we do has to be with that state of mind.
“We have an incredible fanbase, I have love and respect for you and your opinions. They matter, they’re important and we hear you and we want it as badly as you do. I ask that you just show up with the same energy you had when you showed up on Sept. 11, 2023 in 2024. And we’ll take care of the rest.’
