Aaron Rodgers has spoken out about his bizarre altercation with Robert Saleh on the sidelines, saying he did not expect his New York Jets head coach to hug him.
The quarterback was in excellent form in his first return to MetLife since tearing his Achilles tendon, but an extremely positive evening took a tense turn at the end of the first quarter.
When head coach Saleh returned to the sidelines after his first touchdown for the Jets, he wanted to hug him – but his experienced quarterback pushed him away.
Explaining the situation to reporters after the game, Rodgers said, “It wasn’t awkward at all. He’s not normally a big hugger, I didn’t know he wanted to hug. He likes the chest bump with both hands.”
“He talks a lot about being two points ahead, so I gave him a push and said: two points ahead.”
Aaron Rodgers and Robert Saleh had a seemingly tense moment during the Patriots game
Rodgers gave Saleh a slight nudge and stared at him for a few seconds – he said afterwards that the moment was “not embarrassing at all”
Saleh also laughed off any rumors of a falling out between the two, saying after the game: “One of the things we talked about was giving the defense a two-point lead.”
“It wasn’t a two-point lead, so he wanted to see something in defense.”
On social media, fans rushed to Rodgers’ aid, praising his attitude and stressing that this was exactly what the Jets needed on their way to the Super Bowl.
One wrote: “I get it. The game is not won yet and Saleh wants a hug. That’s the Kobe mentality this team needs.”
The Jets are now 2-1 for the first time since 2015 and will next face the Denver Broncos looking to continue their winning streak.
Rodgers explained his side of the story on the podium with reporters after the victory
Opposing quarterback Jacoby Brissett received a hug on the field after the Jets’ big win
Rodgers and Co. lost away to the San Francisco 49ers in the first week, but have since bounced back with victories over the Titans and Patriots.
Rodgers himself was in outstanding form and threw two more touchdowns in his best performance yet in the green jersey of the Jets.
He was successful on 27 of his 35 pass attempts – a much higher percentage of successful passes than in Weeks 1 and 2 – and left the game with a QBR of 81.8 percent.
Rodgers now has five touchdown passes this season, tied for most of any quarterback in the league – even though he has played one more game.
