Jets players said quarterback Aaron Rodgers is a “perfectionist” who demands the best from them on a daily basis.
That was on full display Monday morning when Gang Green donned his pads for the first time in training camp.
Overall, it was a bumpy day for the Jets offense, which seemed out of rhythm. On the first pass of the 11-on-11 drill, a pass bounced off receiver Allen Lazard’s hands and into safety Chuck Clark’s, giving Rodgers his first interception of this year’s camp.
That was just the beginning of the offense’s problems. The biggest issue was center Joe Tippmann’s passing exchanges with Rodgers over the first five drives.
On several occasions, Tippmann sent Rodgers on high snaps, forcing the four-time NFL MVP to jump for the ball. On Monday, Tippmann sent a half-dozen high snaps to Rodgers.
In an instant, Rodgers took a high shotgun blast and threw an incomplete pass to Malik Taylor. That’s when Rodgers completely lost his mind and became animated after he was seen yelling at Tippmann.
Rodgers also had his foot stepped on on a running play by either Tippmann or Jets guard John Simpson, and the quarterback again expressed his displeasure.
“The first day, I had a hard time controlling the game and controlling the quarterback,” Jets coach Robert Saleh said. “There were some good things in the running game.”
“It was a back and forth.”
Asked about Tippmann’s high shots throughout training camp, Saleh didn’t seem too concerned.
“He’s got to work on it,” he said. “There’s something going on, but he’ll get there. He fell for us last year, he’ll be fine.”
Several players have said Rodgers has set the standard not just for the offense but for the entire team. Monday was a glimpse of what Rodgers’ standard of excellence means.
Jets tight end Tyler Conklin went so far as to call Rodgers the “Oppenheimer” of football.
In addition to Tippmann’s miscues, several passes were dropped and Rodgers was tackled three times by Javon Kinlaw, Tanzel Smart and Sam Eguavoen. Rodgers finished the day completing 8 of 13 passes with that interception to Clark.
“It was a little frustrating today,” Conklin said. “Offensively, especially after having some really good performances together, you don’t want to go out there and have a bad day, I guess I could say.
“Days like these, you learn a lot about yourself. There are a lot of camps and training sessions to figure things out. It’s part of the process.”
One area the Jets are trying to improve this year is avoiding self-inflicted injuries. Last season, without Rodgers outside of the four snaps he took before suffering a season-ending torn Achilles tendon, the Jets were the most penalized team in 2023, with 124 infractions.
Gang Green also had one of the worst offenses in the NFL last season without Rodgers, finishing 31st in yards (268.6) and 29th in points per game (15.8). With Rodgers back from his torn Achilles tendon, the Jets’ offense should improve significantly. However, Monday showed that the team still has a ways to go before it reaches the level it hopes to reach.
“His level of play is something a lot of players haven’t seen yet,” Lazard said of Rodgers. “Even this organization hasn’t really been around him on game day, because being around him on the sidelines on Sunday is different than being around him in camp, in preseason or all week.
“When the cameras are on and the balls are flying, everyone gets a little more excited. He obviously expects the same level of play that he did. Today didn’t look like that at all. I think offensively we were a little sloppy early on.
“I started the team’s second half with a deflected pass and an interception and things started to go downhill. I think it’s a great learning moment for us on how to handle adversity because there’s going to be times this year where we come out and we’re down by seven points, or we’re down by 14 points at the end of the second quarter. We’ve always got to have that confidence in ourselves as individuals and as a team that we’re going to come out of this game with a win.”
REDDICK STILL DOESN’T SHOW UP
There appears to have been some progress between the Jets and holdout Haason Reddick after the edge rusher failed to report to training camp last Tuesday.
Seven days later, Reddick still has not shown up at Florham Park.
After a player waits six days, he can be forced to forfeit up to 15% of his salary for each day of training camp missed and an additional 1% for each day missed up to 25%, which is the maximum, according to the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement.
The Green gang could enforce the fine at its discretion, as it is not mandatory. Asked about his status, Saleh said he assumed Reddick would be fined for every day he missed.
The fines have cost Reddick more than $300,000 ($50,000 per day). He was already fined more than $50,000 for missing mandatory minicamp and missed a $250,000 workout bonus for failing to report to the Jets’ offseason program in the spring.
Reddick is in the final year of the three-year, $45 million contract he signed with the Eagles in 2022. The Jets could rework his current deal with additional bonuses and performance clauses, but it appears the team won’t offer him a completely new deal, sources said.
“Our coaches all talk to him and all that,” Saleh said. “You know, from a business standpoint, he’s got to do what he’s got to do and if that’s what he feels is the best choice for him and his family, then that’s what he’s got to do.”
