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Aaron Rodgers was rumored to be a vice president option for independent presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr. before Nicole Shanahan was ultimately selected.
On Tuesday, New York Jets owner Woody Johnson called the entire situation a “momentary distraction” during an appearance on Fox News and said his quarterback was focused solely on football yet again.
“He is getting back to football 100 percent,” he said (h/t Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post. “He never left football. That was a momentary distraction—maybe like going in the dark room or whatever. But he’s back 100 percent. Great leader. I tell the receivers: ‘You count to 10, hold your hands up and look around, the ball will be there.'”
Johnson seemed to be referencing the darkness retreat Rodgers went on last offseason to contemplate his NFL future before landing with the Jets.
The goal for the 2024 season will be keeping Rodgers healthy. He missed essentially the entire season after tearing his Achilles in Week 1 last year, a huge disappointment for a Jets team that acquired him from the Green Bay Packers ahead of the 2023 campaign.
That brought Super Bowl aspirations to New York, though his injury and the struggles of Zach Wilson instead led to a 7-10 season.
The Jets rebuilt much of the offense around him this offseason, adding offensive linemen Tyron Smith, John Simpson and Morgan Moses and wide receiver Mike Williams. The team will also have the No. 10 overall pick in April’s draft to add an impact player to the roster.
“If we can keep him on his feet, which I think we can, it’s going to be an exciting start to the season,” Johnson said on Fox News.
The entire offseason plan centered on putting the 40-year-old in the best position to win. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported in February that a team source said the Jets were “married to” Rodgers.
“Everything the Jets do, for better or worse, revolves around Rodgers, who could chart a path to the playoffs… or a full rebuild,” Fowler wrote at the time. “Major roster decisions swirl around the quarterback.”
Those decisions came to pass, and Rodgers won’t have the distractions or duties that accompany a vice presidential candidate. Johnson—a major donor and fundraiser for Donald Trump who served as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom under his presidency—seemed perfectly content with that outcome.
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