Reporter drops hint about why Aaron Rodgers skipped minicamp
Aug 26, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) warms up before a game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
There has been a lot of speculation about where Aaron Rodgers was this week when he decided not to attend mandatory minicamp, and some of it might be accurate.
Jets head coach Robert Saleh told reporters that Rodgers was not excused from mandatory practice on Tuesday and Wednesday but that the quarterback instead chose to “attend an event that was very important to him.” Naturally, there has been no shortage of theories about the nature of said “event.”
One Jets reporter said Rodgers planned a trip while he was rehabbing from his Achilles injury and before the offseason schedule came out. Many people speculated that Rodgers is on another ayahuasca retreat, as the four-time MVP has been open in the past about his experiences with the hallucinogenic plant.
During an appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show” Friday, Albert Breer of The MMQB seemed to hint that the ayahuasca talk might not be far off.
“The best I can answer this right now that I feel solid about is that he is somewhere that (the Jets) could not excuse and maintain credibility with the rest of the locker room, but would be expected — would not be an out-of-left-field thing for him,” Breer said. “You guys can open your minds, so to speak, as he’s been known to open his mind sometimes into all the possibilities that might create for him.”
It seemed pretty obvious what Breer was getting at. However, ESPN’s Rich Cimini said on his “Flight Deck” podcast this week that he does not think Rodgers is on a retreat involving ayahuasca.
“I do not believe he’s on a darkness retreat. I do not believe he’s on an ayahuasca retreat,” Cimini said. “I don’t think it has anything to do with RFK’s campaign or campaigning for RFK, I know that has come up. I think he’s on a vacation. I think he just took a trip far far away out of the country — like really far — like on the other side of the world.”
Where the heck is #Jets QB Aaron Rodgers?!
‘I do not believe he’s on a darkness retreat. I do not believe he’s on an ayahuasca retreat. I don’t think it has anything to do with RFK’s campaign or campaigning for RFK, I know that has come up. I think he’s on a vacation. I think… pic.twitter.com/377hSETTDm
— Paul Andrew Esden Jr (@BoyGreen25) June 16, 2024
Rodgers might eventually reveal where he was, but it does not sound like the Jets are too bothered by his absence. One star teammate sent a strong message defending the quarterback.
