With the way Aaron Rodgers was talking in his postgame press conference after the Steelers' Week 1 victory over the Jets, you would've thought the Jets somehow did him dirty. Yet, all week leading up to the game, it was "just another game" or "just one of 17." So, which is it Aaron? Was it just another game? Or were you looking for some sort of "revenge" against a team that wronged you only in your own mind? Because it can't be both!
Of course, Rodgers would almost certainly be singing a different tune had he played poorly and/or had the Steelers lost. Then he would've repeated his same pregame talking points and downplayed the importance of the game. It's only after he played well in a Steelers win that he felt "vindicated" enough to roast his former team. Because, after all, what's Aaron Rodgers if not a victim?
Meanwhile, the actual reality of the situation is that the New York Jets leveraged their entire franchise to cater to Aaron Rodgers. They acquired players because they were his buddies. They hired an unqualified offensive coordinator simply because he was Rodgers' preferred coach. They made Robert Saleh the fall guy last season instead of benching Rodgers. In short, the Jets spent two years trying to make Aaron Rodgers happy.
Let's not forget, either, that Aaron Rodgers basically forced his way onto the Jets two years ago. He wasn't a free agent. The Packers didn't have to trade him. But they knew he didn't want to be there anymore, so they gave him what he wanted. Rodgers chose to be a Jet. And the Jets went out of their way to accommodate his every wish. So, spare me with this idea that they somehow screwed you over.
No one could've foreseen him tearing his ACL on the fourth play of the first series of his first game with the team. But the 2024 season wasn't exactly a good one for either the Jets or their quarterback. He'd be the first to admit that the marriage didn't work out. Which is OK. It happens. So why is he so bitter about the divorce?
Granted, the NFL didn't exactly help matters here by scheduling Steelers at Jets for Week 1. But, when the schedule came out, Rodgers hadn't signed with Pittsburgh yet. So, the idea of this being a "revenge game" was the furthest thing from their minds. Hence the 1:00 start time. It was only after Rodgers joined the Steelers that the game became relevant. And he was gonna make sure of it.
That's the thing about Aaron Rodgers. He can't not be in the spotlight. His ego won't allow it. It was the same thing in Green Bay. He had to be the center of attention. Rodgers brings drama with him. As long as he's performing and his team is winning, they're willing to put up with it. But even though they were winning, the Packers eventually got tired of it. Which is why they were more than willing to get rid of him once he didn't want to be there anymore.
It was also pretty clear by the middle of last season that Rodgers didn't want to be a Jet anymore, either. So, again, what's the problem then? Is the entire thing because they didn't want you either? Or because they were up front about it and flat out said so themselves before you got the chance to say you weren't coming back? (I'm not even sure how that would've worked since you were a free agent, so they would've had to have been interested in you coming back to even offer you a contract.)
Did having Aaron Rodgers make the Jets more relevant in 2023 and 2024? Absolutely. They were in primetime every freakin' week at the beginning of last season because of him! But that just magnified everything, including his struggles, even more. And New York isn't exactly Green Bay. Had he performed and the team won, he would've been embraced like he was by Packers fans. But he didn't perform and they didn't win. So, what type of reaction was he expecting then?
Aaron Rodgers is headed for the Hall of Fame. There's no doubt about that. But there's also no doubt about the fact that he brings the drama, most of which he creates himself. In addition to being a drama queen, he's a headache. It must be exhausting for everyone in the organization. Is it any surprise, then, that after he wears out his welcome, teams decide they don't want to be a part of his circus anymore?
Rodgers, of course, isn't the only drama queen quarterback who's mastered making himself the victim. It's been a decade and Colin Kaepernick is still whining. He's 37 years old and hasn't played in 10 years, yet he still insists he's being treated unfairly. Much like Rodgers, Kaepernick refuses to acknowledge his own role in creating the situation he found himself in. But why would he? The truth isn't anywhere near as good a narrative.
According to Kaepernick, the only reason he isn't playing quarterback in the NFL today is because all 32 teams conspired to keep him out of the league due to his stance on social issues. Whether there was any truth to that at the beginning is no longer relevant. The fact of the matter today is that he's a 37-year-old who's been out of football for a decade and, frankly, wasn't that good then. Colin Kaepernick always conveniently ignores that fact. He simply wasn't a very good quarterback. Certainly not worth the hassle or the money he thinks he's worth.
Frankly, I think Kaepernick knows all this, too. But that doesn't fit into the story where he's a martyr for his cause. If a team had signed him and given him the chance to play, Kaepernick would've had to perform. If he didn't, he couldn't play that victim role anymore. That doesn't work for his narrative. Kaepernick needs to not play so that he can keep blaming all 32 teams for not signing him and using persecution as his reason.
Colin Kaepernick and Aaron Rodgers have that in common. They both created their situation, but they'll never admit their role in it. It's much easier to blame somebody else and play the victim. Even if it isn't true. After all, that's the only way they can be the hero in their own story.
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