Aaron Rodgers just gave Jets fans another reason to resent him

The New York Jets are less than a week away from their season opener against Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers this coming Sunday. The Rodgers revenge narrative will be one of the biggest NFL storylines of Week 1, as the four-time MVP will return to MetLife Stadium, this time as the enemy.

But if you ask a certain portion of the Jets’ fan base, Rodgers had already cemented himself as a villain before his tenure with the team even ended, and the latest report about his influence on the Malachi Corley draft pick only adds fuel to that fire.

ESPN's Rich Cimini reported on Sunday that Rodgers informed the Jets before the 2024 NFL Draft that Corley was his "favorite receiver" because of his "mindset and ferocity." As Cimini insisted, the previous Jets regime "always aimed to please Rodgers."

The Jets would trade up to the 65th overall pick in the draft to select Corley, who lasted just one year with the team before he was waived last week. The organization's pre-draft infatuation with Corley has been well documented, but it seems Rodgers may have played a bigger factor in the pick than initially believed.

Aaron Rodgers had heavy influence on the Jets' Malachi Corley pick

Corley was selected by the Jets with the first pick in the third round of the 2024 draft with the hope that he could provide the team with much-needed young wide receiver depth in a room that was expected to feature the likes of Garrett Wilson and Mike Williams.

Former Jets general manager Joe Douglas and head coach Robert Saleh made it abundantly clear how smitten they were with the Western Kentucky product shortly after the draft.

From the now-infamous “No Matter What” debacle to the team leaking to the media that they had Corley ranked as the No. 4 receiver in the class — ahead of players like Brian Thomas Jr. and Ladd McConkey — the Jets were heavy-handed with their Corley love.

That’s what makes his disastrous Jets tenure all the more embarrassing. Corley finished with just three catches for 16 yards, and his most memorable moment came on Halloween night when he infamously dropped the ball short of the goal line on what should have been his first career touchdown.

The Jets waived Corley as part of final roster cuts last week, as the 23-year-old worked almost exclusively with the third-team offense, behind multiple undrafted rookies in one of the worst wide receiver rooms in the NFL.

Corley went unclaimed on waivers but landed a lifeline with a spot on the Cleveland Browns’ practice squad. Given the state of Cleveland’s receiving corps, he could get another chance down the line, though based on how badly he struggled in New York, it wouldn’t be a shock if he never plays another NFL snap.

Corley’s downfall is a reminder to Jets fans of how much sway Rodgers once held in personnel decisions. Now, with him set to return to MetLife in a Steelers uniform, that influence feels like just another chapter in a depressing legacy.

More NY Jets news and analysis: