Aaron Rodgers has chosen to skip both days of the New York Jets’ mandatory minicamp this week, but his absence reportedly was not a surprise to the team.
Jets head coach Robert Saleh revealed on Tuesday that Rodgers was not present for the start of the team’s mandatory minicamp but did not have permission to miss it. Rodgers was absent on Wednesday as well. Saleh said Rodgers did not take part because he had to attend “an event that was very important to him.”
According to SNY’s Connor Hughes, Rodgers is on a trip this week that he had planned when he was rehabbing from his torn Achilles. The Jets knew Rodgers would not be attending minicamp when the offseason schedule came out.
Hughes went on to say that Rodgers’ trip was not excused because the Jets did not feel they could give the quarterback permission to do something like that but subject a player like Haason Reddick to fines. Reddick has also chosen not to attend minicamp over a contract dispute.
“Semantics, but there’s no unrest inside the building,” Hughes wrote on X. “The Jets don’t think it’s a big deal, not sure why the world is reacting differently. Rodgers missing these two days (after being at every voluntary workout the last two years) will have zero impact on what the #NYJ/Rodgers accomplish this coming season.”
Aaron Rodgers planned this trip when he was still rehabbing. The #Jets have known about it from the moment there was an overlap with the release of the minicamp schedule.
Rodgers is "unexcused" because you can't excuse a trip, but not a contract dispute (Haason Reddick).…
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) June 12, 2024
It remains unclear where Rodgers is, but the Jets obviously do not feel the “trip” should take precedent over minicamp. Many fans made the same joke about what they think Rodgers is doing this week.
Rodgers will probably address the situation at some point, as the element of mystery is creating the type of drama that he claims to loathe. Though, his approach in situations like this is usually to just blast the media.
