While most New York Jets fans hailed the team’s trade for Aaron Rodgers, a few had worries about how the sometimes mercurial quarterback might fit in with his new team. Jets legend Joe Klecko was among the latter group, but Rodgers seems to have won him over.
Klecko, a Hall of Fame pass rusher who starred for the Jets throughout the 1980s, was a vocal opponent of a Rodgers trade as recently as February. Klecko said at the time that he was worried Rodgers would “ruin the locker room” and be a bad influence on the team’s young core.
Klecko said on “The Jake Asman Show” Wednesday, however, that he has been won over after seeing Rodgers operate during OTAs.
#Jets legend and new @ProFootballHOF Joe Klecko was originally AGAINST the team bringing in Aaron Rodgers but Klecko explains how Rodgers' actions since he's been a Jet have won him over and why he's excited now.
Full @JakeAsmanShow Interview: https://t.co/GJwjfCQ9MG pic.twitter.com/NS3TU3KHnU
— Jake Asman (@JakeAsman) June 26, 2023
“He’s a different duck. He really is. There’s no doubt,” Klecko said. “But as far as him as a football player, I’ve always said, as far as an accurate passer, there probably maybe has never been one as good and presently there’s not. He’s the best accurate passer in the league and a four-time MVP. My only contention was how he was going to get along with the young guys, you know?
“I made a reference to it, because growing up as a team, the one I was on, we grew together. That was really a cool thing, because we got along so well. That’s what I was hoping, which he now has shown. He’s ingratiated the rest of the team, and he’s out there teaching guys. He’s doing the things that you see a Tom Brady do. I think he’s going to be a big surprise for everybody in New York.”
Klecko was not the only one wary of the Jets adding Rodgers, with one other former player questioning whether it was the right long-term move for the team. The initial word from camp has been overwhelmingly positive, though.
It is possible that the Rodgers move could still backfire on the Jets, particularly if the team does not play up to expectations early in the season. For now, it’s unlikely anyone has any regrets.
