Two Lingering Minicamp Questions Overshadow Jets' Progress

The New York Jets hosted a two-day mandatory minicamp in Florham Park, but the transpirings left behind more questions than answers.

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) walks onto the field with the offense to face the Buffalo Bills in the home opener at MetLife Stadium on Monday, Sept. 11, 2023, in East Rutherford. / Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com /

Haason Reddick didn't show up and, surprisingly, Aaron Rodgers didn't either as New York Jets' mandatory minicamp seemingly left more questions than answers in its wake.

Instead of allowing the team to showcase the remade offensive line or reaffirm the success that has been Rodgers's recovery from Achilles surgery, the two superstar absences grabbed the major headlines during the two-day program in Florham Park.

In the case of Reddick, the writing was on the wall leading up to minicamp. After being traded to New York by the Philadelphia Eagles, the renowned edge rusher declined to attend voluntary OTAs while reportedly seeking a new contract. Prior to the trade, it was no secret that the 29-year-old Reddick wanted a pay raise.

It wasn't until recently that Jets' head coach Robert Saleh had a conversation with Reddick, who notably skipped the Eagles' offseason workouts last year.

"He's choosing to sit out this one unexcused," said Saleh on Tuesday from the podium in Florham Park.

As for Rodgers, who was present for voluntary OTAs Phase 3 practices over the past few weeks, the absence caught a lot of folks off guard including backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who said he didn't learn the news until Tuesday morning.

"It's a one-on-one conversation. It's not something that the team needed to know about," said Saleh on Wednesday.

Fair enough, but perhaps a little warning would have prevented a media firestorm from high jacking the Jets' minicamp.

Despite the media-generated drama and no Rodgers highlights to celebrate, the two days of practice resulted in a few positive developments.

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First, Taylor looked like the competent backup he was thought to be. Known for his ball security as well as ability to throw the long pass, 14-year veteran looked capable of keeping the offense on track during Rodgers's brief absence. By multiple accounts, he made multiple connections with Jets' WR1 Garrett Wilson.

The soon-to-be 24-year-old Wilson looked both smooth and explosive during the non-contact live periods. After back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons to start his NFL career, Wilson appears primed for a monster year.

Another positive takeaway is New York conducted minicamp without apparently suffering any major injuries. Second-year running back Israel Abanikanda was seen walking gingerly off the field with a trainer by reporters in attendance on Tuesday and was not spotted on Day 2. Other than that issue, the Jets were seemingly unscathed, unlike last year when safety Chuck Clark tore his ACL during the final OTAs session.

G5 cleared for takeoff ✈️ pic.twitter.com/M4hOEG0yIj

— New York Jets (@nyjets) June 12, 2024

In what should be an stress-free time prior to the start of training camp, Jets' fans are left worrying whether or not Reddick will buy into the program and wondering where on Earth their superstar quarterback was when attendance was mandatory.

Those two items are sure to suck up a ton of unnecessary attention in the dog days leading into late July, but it didn't have to be that way.

Whereas one can't really expect answers from two days of padless minicamp practices, there was no need to create additional questions but the Jets found a way to do just that.