Former New York Jets Coach Slams Aaron Rodgers Over Robert Saleh Situation

A former New York Jets head coach slammed into Aaron Rodgers over his situation with Robert Saleh.

Aug 26, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) and head coach Robert Saleh leave the field after the first half of their game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. / Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Jets have been through the ringer this offseason when it comes to drama. Despite putting together a very successful offseason, it was another storyline that grabbed all of the media attention.

Of course, that story was about Aaron Rodgers skipping mandatory team activities to take a trip to Egypt. His absence was listed as "unexcused" and he was fined for skipping the practices.

Another storyline has now been made about a recent quote from Rodgers.

After head coach Robert Saleh revealed that he wasn't expecting to play the 40-year-old superstar in the preseason, Rodgers came out and said that it was "news to me" in response.

Former Jets' head coach Eric Mangini ripped into Rodgers for those comments. He believes that the future Hall of Fame quarterback "embarrassed" Saleh with his comments.

"I don't know why Rodgers has to go out of his way to embarrass Saleh. ... You don't want distractions, stop creating them. You don't know if you're going to play, go ask somebody."

"I don't know why Rodgers has to go out of his way to embarrass Saleh. ... You don't want distractions, stop creating them. You don't know if you're going to play, go ask somebody."

— Coach Mangini sounds off on Rodgers saying not playing this preseason was, 'News to me' 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/4ygpfWKwTs

— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) August 1, 2024

Rodgers has always been very outspoken and has said many different controversial things. In this situation, Mangini's criticism makes a lot of sense.

In one line of thinking, Rodgers is calling out Saleh publicly for a lack of communication. Whether that's what he meant by his comments or not, that is how it was taken by the media.

Sometimes, Rodgers would be better off by not making a comment about a situation.

Throughout his career, Rodgers has not been a very well-loved player in the media. Anytime a scent of drama has been around him, it has been blown out of proportion. This time, however, he made a comment that he simply should not have made.

Thankfully, the team itself doesn't seem to have been bothered by the offseason drama. That will likely remain the case once again with this situation.

Instead, the Jets are focusing on getting back into Super Bowl contention this season.

Led by Rodgers, the New York roster is loaded with talent. The defense should be a top-three unit in the NFL and the offense has elite weapons for Rodgers to work with.

Hopefully, this is the season that the Jets live up to the hype. After heartbreak to start the 2023 season due to the superstar quarterback's Achilles tear, they're due for some good fortune in 2024.