Sauce Gardner slams haters for bogus Aaron Rodgers minicamp drama

NY Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers has come under fire in recent days following his decision to forgo his team's mandatory minicamp, but while many outside the organization have been quick to bash Rodgers, his teammates have come to his defense.

Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner took to social media on Thursday to clear the air surrounding Rodgers' absence. Gardner seemingly wasn't happy about the way Rodgers had been treated by the media, insisting that his absence wasn't a big deal.

The two-time All-Pro defended his quarterback, remarking how Rodgers was in attendance for all voluntary portions of the Jets' offseason including OTAs and other spring workouts.

Evidently, Gardner and the other players in the Jets' locker room aren't concerned by Rodgers' attendance (or lack thereof).

"Are y'all really making a big deal because a 15+ year HOF QB missed 2 days of practice after being with the team all throughout Phase 1, 2, & 3 of OTA's?? GG's."

- Sauce Gardner

Sauce Gardner shields NY Jets and Aaron Rodgers from unwarranted criticism

Rodgers' decision not to attend minicamp this year was one of the top storylines coming out of NFL spring practices. This is, of course, despite Rodgers apparently telling the Jets months in advance that he would not be able to attend.

Rodgers gave the Jets advanced notice, he showed up for every possible voluntary event, and both his teammates and coaches seem to be completely on board with his decision. That's probably why Gardner doesn't understand the unprompted outrage.

Ultimately, this is Aaron Rodgers and the Jets in the middle of June. There's nothing else to talk about, so of course this is going to dominate headlines. It's the reason we've written a handful of stories on this very subject — even if any criticism is unfounded.

Gardner has developed a close relationship with Rodgers over the year-plus that the four-time MVP has been in Florham Park. Both players have spoken publicly about their admiration for each other. It shouldn't be a surprise to see Gardner come to his teammate's defense.

This will continue to be a non-story until another June non-story that fans can latch on to pops up. Just as Gardner insinuated, this is nothing Jets fans should worry about.