Aaron Rodgers ironically takes high road in rare Jets-related moment of maturity

Aaron Rodgers had every opportunity to take a not-so-subtle jab at the New York Jets during his Tuesday media availability with the Pittsburgh Steelers. But for once, he passed.

When asked directly what made the Steelers organization different, and presumably better, than the one he just left, Rodgers smirked but declined to engage.

“I’m not going to take any shots at my previous organization if that's what you're trying to get me to do,” he told reporters. Coming from most players, it’d be a standard, boring answer. Coming from Rodgers? I might as well be headline-worthy.

This is the same quarterback who, just two months ago, ripped into the Jets during an unprovoked rant on The Pat McAfee Show. He called the team’s leadership “embarrassing,” took shots at new head coach Aaron Glenn, and contradicted reports about his own departure.

Now suddenly, Rodgers is all about professionalism? The irony is impossible to ignore.

Aaron Rodgers holds back when given another chance to bash the Jets

Whether Rodgers meant it or not, his response was the calmest he's sounded about the Jets in months. For someone who’s made a second career out of passive-aggressive digs and public grievances, especially when it comes to organizations he feels wronged by, choosing peace was… unexpected, to say the least.

Let’s be honest, the bar for Rodgers not torching someone on a microphone is pretty low. This is the same player whose career has been muddied with public feuds and cryptic comments. His surprising self-restraint this time around felt almost like watching a volcano decide not to erupt.

But perhaps that restraint is as much about necessity as growth. Rodgers may have started all 17 games last season, but he clearly wasn’t the same quarterback.

His physical decline, whether due to age, lingering injuries, or both, was evident, with advanced metrics painting a much bleaker picture than his traditional box score line.

The only two quarterbacks to finish with a worse completion percentage over expected (CPOE) than Rodgers were Cooper Rush and Anthony Richardson. Among qualified quarterbacks, he ranked 19th in EPA/play, 24th in success rate, 28th in completion percentage, and 28th in average air yards.

And now, with the Steelers banking heavily on him to turn things around in 2025, Rodgers might realize there’s no time to rehash old drama. His window is closing, and he knows it.

The Jets, meanwhile, are moving forward with a new head coach, a new quarterback, and a new era that feels intentionally distanced from the circus of the last two years.

Rodgers may not be taking any more shots (for now), but the damage from his tenure has already been done, and the Jets seem just fine letting him be someone else’s problem now.

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