The Jets didn’t have much to complain about in the first half of their Thursday Night Football game against the Patriots – unless you’re Aaron Rodgers, apparently.
Rodgers was at bat early in his first home game since tearing his Achilles tendon in 2023, but Amazon Prime Video cameras caught him on the sidelines apparently expressing his frustration with coach Robert Saleh.
The Jets gave Rodgers a major say in the organization when they signed him in 2023, leading some to believe the team’s momentum would not be sustainable. As 2024 approached, however, all seemed well off the field, and a win over the Titans in Week 2 seemed to reinforce that the Rodgers experiment was heading in the right direction.
Here is video of the interaction between Rodgers and Saleh from Thursday’s game at MetLife Stadium.
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Push from Robert Saleh and Aaron Rodgers
A video of a collision between Saleh and Rodgers caught the attention of some Thursday Night Football viewers. Some believed Rodgers lightly shoved Saleh.
who reads lips pic.twitter.com/HDoxWuntY6
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) 20 September 2024
It’s not entirely clear what Rodgers said to Saleh, nor is it clear if it was even a moment of frustration for the Jets QB — the clip aired after the replay determined that Breece Hall had scored a touchdown, but it’s not clear if the interaction actually happened at that time.
Some fans speculated that Rodgers told Saleh, “Don’t call that.”
Now 40, Rodgers has embraced his role as an elder statesman in New York. A video of Rodgers seemingly arguing with wide receiver Garrett Wilson during training camp went viral over the summer, but the four-time MVP downplayed the moment as two teammates “discussing passionately the details of a situation that may not involve any of us.”
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It’s not unusual for a veteran quarterback to be harsh on his teammates, but it’s not as common for quarterbacks to clash with their head coach. The incident didn’t seem to affect the Jets’ offense, as Rodgers finished the first half completing 15 of 20 passes for 170 yards and a touchdown, giving New York a 14-3 lead.
