New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers and cornerback Sauce Gardner sit courtside in the second half of Game 2 in the NBA basketball Eastern Conference semifinals playoff series between the New York Knicks and the Miami Heat, Tuesday, May 2, 2023, at Madison Square Garden in New York. The Knicks won 111-105. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) (Mary Altaffer, AP)
Having Aaron Rodgers at the Jets facility has been an adjustment for everyone in the building.
Not just for Rodgers himself after being with the Packers organization for 18 years, but also for the current players who grew up watching him play.
“I ain’t going to lie to you, I was kind of star-struck at first,” Jets linebacker Quincy Williams said. “We warm up right next to each other, so I was like, ‘let me take a minute to take this in.’”
Rodgers officially became a Jet last week after the long-awaited trade from the Packers became official. Following his introductory press conference with the media, Rodgers quickly got to work with his new teammates during OTAs.
The next day, the Jets posted a video on social media of Rodgers throwing the ball to new Jets receiver Allen Lazard. Currently, on Twitter, that video has 1.8 million views.
“Everyone has been going to work with a smile on their face, knowing there’s a lot of learning to do,” Jets receiver Garrett Wilson said. “The expectation is high with Aaron and we all know that and that’s what we want.
“For us, it is all the excitement to get to work and the excitement to perfect our game every day and he pushes us to that for sure.
“That’s a legend right there, that’s a Hall of Fame player. This is something 20, 30 years from now, I will tell my kid that I played with Aaron Rodgers. I try not to think about it too much… but the reality of it is it is awesome having someone around like that around the facility.”
Not only is Rodgers causing quite a stir on the field with his new teammates, but he is also creating headlines off the field as he is taking in the New York scene.
Last Saturday, Rodgers and Lazard were at the Devils-Rangers game at Madison Square Garden. They also caught Sunday’s series opener between the Miami Heat and the Knicks.
Rodgers and Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner also took in Game 2 on Tuesday night.
Before Tuesday’s game, the pair went to dinner at Carbone, an Italian restaurant in Manhattan, and the second-year cornerback revealed the four-time NFL MVP even picked up the check.
Then at the Garden, Gardner and Rodgers rubbed elbows with A-list celebrities including Chris Rock, Tracy Morgan and Dave Chappelle.
“A down to Earth guy,” Gardner said of the Jets’ new QB. “I didn’t know he was that funny. Just being able to spend some time with him is great.”
“Everybody knew who he was, I was just able to be in his shadow a bit. His sense of humor is crazy, he’s a great guy to be around. I just enjoy spending time with him.
“It was just a great vibe all around.”
Garrett Wilson joked about seeing his teammates on TV enjoying the game.
“I have to figure out how I can get in with them,” Wilson said. “I would love to tag along on one of them trips to the city they’ve been going on.”
Rodgers and new offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett will hope to turn around a Jets offense that finished 25th in yards and 29th in points per game in 2022. Gang Green used a carousel of quarterbacks — Zach Wilson, Mike White, Joe Flacco and Chris Streveler — on their way to a 7-10 record last year.
Eleven games into last season, the Jets were 7-4 and looked poised to make the playoffs for the first time since 2010. But the team’s offense stalled late in the season, especially without running back Breece Hall, who tore his ACL last October.
Because of the slumping offense, the Jets lost six straight games to end the season and averaged just 11 points during that span. They’re hoping Rodgers can turn things around and propel the Jets to contenders in the AFC in 2023.
“We know what we have in this room, we’ve known what we’ve had in this room,” Wilson said. “Then when you add someone like that with the accolades that he has and the ability that he has, we expect to compete with everyone in the league, beat everyone in the league, be one of the better teams in the league.
“That’s always been our mindset and when we didn’t follow through on that, we’ve always been upset. I would be lying if we said adding someone like Aaron Rodgers’ pedigree, the expectation doesn’t go up a little bit. That’s how it is in this industry.
“I’m excited to have him and we know what comes with it and we know all of a sudden, all eyes are on us and we have to back it up every time when we take the field. We are excited to prove that every week.”
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Originally published at Tribune News Service