It’s not an NFL offseason without the New York Jets being in the news cycle for something.
Even though this organization hasn’t done much by way of winning over the past decade, they always find a way to become newsworthy. Even coming off a season when the Jets’ offensive attack was offensively bad, they’re here in the news. This time, the Jets have found themselves in a situation where people are reacting to June minicamp practices.
Aaron Rodgers, who was injured for his first season with the Jets, opted not to attend mandatory minicamps with an unexcused absence. The magnet that the New York spotlight brings, plus Rodgers’ own infamy, has turned this into a whirlwind of a story that has ignited discussion. However, this is much ado about nothing in the case of Rodgers — and he’s not even the most interesting Jets minicamp holdout!
Let’s start with Rodgers, and let’s be real. Rodgers has largely been a distraction since joining the Jets. From distasteful remarks made on television to considering running with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on a hopeless presidential campaign, Rodgers has been all over the place while not playing a whole lot of football. For many people this feels like more of the same with Rodgers, and to a degree it is. But what exactly is Rodgers missing over three days of padless practice that he doesn’t already have experience with during a two-decade career of professional football? He has been with the team for a year and already knows offensive coordinator Nate Hackett’s playbook.
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Sure, it’s annoying because normally star quarterbacks miss practices only when they’re injured or holding out, neither of which apply to Rodgers. However, nothing that Rodgers missed this week will have an imprint on the Jets’ 2024 offense. This is the first team activity that he has missed all offseason. He has been committed up to this point and there isn’t much to draw from this absence unless he is doing something nefarious and has an impact on a widespread amount of people. This is largely a non-story with what we know, even though Jets head coach Robert Saleh has been clumsy with how he’s speaking about this event.
On the other side of the ball, the Jets have an interesting holdout situation with newly acquired pass rusher Haason Reddick, who they traded for on April 1. Reddick is holding out because he wants a new deal as he enters the final year of his contract. He finds himself in the precarious position of playing for a Jets regime that is on the hottest of hot seats.
That shouldn’t be important to Reddick. He’s turning 30 at the start of the season and has been one of the best edge rushers in football over the past four years. This is likely his last chance to get one more big-money deal. He should do everything he can to secure one last contract. On the other hand, the Jets’ future largely depends on the results of this season. They’re standing on volatile ground as they give their best effort to be “all-in” for the upcoming season with Rodgers at quarterback.
The Jets traded a conditional third-round draft pick that could become a second if Reddick plays 67.5% of the defensive snaps this season — which is possible given how good he is. Potentially trading a future second for one year of football would not be the best organizational practice, but there’s still plenty of time to get this figured out and have Reddick next to Quinnen Williams for the foreseeable future.
Rodgers skipping a June practice is annoying for the Jets right now, but ultimately has no effect on what happens to them this season. It’s another minor distraction on a long list of things Rodgers has been a part of over the past couple years. However, there’s no doubt that he’s going to be locked in for training camp, assuming he’s healthy. Reddick’s issue is more complex, but even that has a chance to become nothing by the time the season rolls out.
Gotta talk about something in June!