Aaron Rodgers sends message to Jets fans after Week 1 loss

Aug 19, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) during warmups for the Jets game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers brought back an oldie to try to calm fans after an ugly Week 1 showing.

Rodgers called on everyone around the team to “stay relaxed” after a 32-19 loss to San Francisco, a nod to him telling Packers fans to relax a decade ago after an underwhelming 1-2 start.

“I think we always have to stay relaxed,” Rodgers said, via Rich Cimini of ESPN. “It’s a long season. I think, at times, people think the season is like you’re out in the prairie or the desert and you’re moving around trying to find water, but it’s more like a nice, slow Bolero, where we’re just swaying with the music and reacting to whatever comes to us and through us, just trying to not get too high with the highs or too low with the lows.”

Rodgers acknowledged that there is much more room for knee-jerk reactions now than was the case a decade ago, but maintained that the best thing to do was trust the process.

“The league is a lot different than when I said ‘relax’ years ago in that there’s just so much more coverage [and] there’s so much more opportunity for overreaction,” Rodgers added. “So I get it. We want to win, the fans want to win, the organization wants to win, but the process has to be the same.”

The good news for Rodgers is that he appears to be healthy and came through the season opener unscathed while showing flashes of his old self. Their opponent is also more forgiving this week, as they prepare to face the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. If that game goes poorly, however, everyone will be much less inclined to keep their cool.