.png)
6 months ago
20
Aaron Rodgers did not wind up becoming Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s running mate - but the quarterback has hinted it was his own choice and not the other way around.
After Rodgers played just four snaps for the Jets before tearing his Achilles, it looked possible that he would never return to the team after the New York Times reported he was on RFK Jr.'s VP shortlist.
And while the presidential candidate eventually chose tech entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan as his running mate, Rodgers has suggested that it was his job to turn down.
'I love Bobby. We had a couple really nice conversations,' Rodgers told reporters from the Jets facility on Tuesday.
'But there were really two options. It was retire and be his VP or keep playing. And I wanted to keep playing.'
Aaron Rodgers has hinted that it was his choice not to be RFK Jr's VP candidate
Rodgers and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. - a fellow vaccine skeptic - are fairly close friends
Rodgers and Kennedy Jr. have developed a relationship in recent years, with both men notably skeptic of vaccines.
Evidently, Rodgers feels he has unfinished business with the Jets after missing nearly the entirety of the 2024 season, in which the team limped to a 7-10 finish without him.
The quarterback was unable to make a sensationally-short injury comeback during the season that he suggested was possible, but nonetheless told reporters on Tuesday that he feels 'really good.'
It's been over eight months since his Achilles tear on September 11.
'I feel really good, it's just about the mental part,' he said.
Aaron Rodgers says he had two options - retire and be RFK's vice president or keep playing football
He wanted to keep playing football pic.twitter.com/tSKDSupxzn
RFK Jr.'s United States presidential candidacy looks to be a major longshot at this point
Rodgers was on the practice field on Tuesday for OTAs and said he 'felt great'
'The strength is good, the movement's good, just the confidence to do everything.'
Rodgers also spoke about the pressure on him and the Jets heading into this season, as the Jets traded two second-picks for the legendary quarterback.
Robert Saleh, entering his fourth year with the franchise, is also just 18-33 as a head coach and has yet to post a winning season.
'If I don't do what I know I'm capable of doing, we're all probably going to be out of here,' Rodgers said. 'I like that kind of pressure, though. I know it's a tough market to play in, it's not for everybody. I relish that opportunity.'
English (US)