Jets DE Shares Classy Aaron Rodgers Gesture to Refute QB's Shaky Reputation As Teammate

Jermaine Johnson is currently recovering from a torn Achilles, the same injury that sidelined the Jets quarterback in 2023.

New York Jets DE Jermaine Johnson on The Official Jets Podcast. / The Official Jets Podcast / Screenshot / YouTube

Publicly, New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers might be one of the most confounding personalities in the sports ecosystem, but privately, he's nothing like that—at least according to Jets defensive end Jermaine Johnson.

Johnson is currently recovering from an Achilles injury, the same injury Rodgers suffered at the start of last season, and recently shared a bit about how the quarterback helped him through the setback and rehabilitation. His portrait of Rodgers is, as he describes it, a complete departure from the Rodgers the world sees, and some of that disparity is intentional ... or, at the very least, unimportant to the QB.

"I mean, guys don't know how amazing Aaron is. How amazing of a person he is, " Johnson said during an episode of The Official Jets Podcast. "And Aaron, to his credit, he tries to not combat anything he sees in the media about himself. 'Cause obviously you got to see it, you know what I mean? And he doesn't have the best rap in terms of, you know, teammate, this and that, self-centered ... Bro, he's none of that. He just doesn't care enough to go and correct you guys. He cares about what people in his circle think about him."

To exemplify this, Johnson shared a story of a massive kindness Rodgers did for him when the former was injured: Rather than chartering a jet himself to get "fixed up" out in L.A., Johnson asked Rodgers if he could use the quarterback's private jet instead. He figured he'd still pay Rodgers whatever it cost, but knew the overall price would be cheaper than if he went the normal route. The quarterback fully obliged.

"I'm getting on the flight. I'm like, 'Hey, by the way, you never sent me the wire information to pay this flight,'" the DE explains, miming a text to Rodgers as he does so. "Keep in mind, these flights from coast to coast are at least $30K. ... Aaron basically goes, 'Don't worry about it.' And I'm getting mad, because I'm like, no, I don't like people doing things for me, you know what I mean?

"He's like, 'Don't worry about it. You're a great guy. You handle everything for everybody in your life. Now is the time period you have to focus on receiving help. And letting that happen. He's like, 'Let me do this for you.'"

Very cool story told by @ii_jermaine to @eallenjets on what Aaron Rodgers did for him post Johnson’s Achilles tear.
You won’t hear about these types of gestures from Rodgers often, bc JJ
says Rodgers “doesn’t care enough” to correct the narrative.
🎥: @nyjets #jetup pic.twitter.com/l4hrk9Q0S4

— jamie stuart (@jamiestuartTV) January 8, 2025

Johnson said he "got a little emotional" afterward because it was just such a nice thing for Rodgers to do. And that he wanted to share that anecdote as evidence of Rodgers's generosity because it upsets him to see things that suggest otherwise.

"I just gotta let y'all know it couldn't be farther from the truth," he concludes in regards to Rodgers's reputation. "This guy's an amazing person and an amazing teammate."

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