According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, the Jets told Aaron Rodgers that they wanted him to cut out the Pat McAfee Show appearances if he were to return to the team, and the future Hall of Famer was eventually told that New York would be moving on without him.
Rodgers’ weekly appearances with McAfee had become a heavy source of criticism in recent years, as it became a sideshow while he was recovering from season-ending Achilles surgery and calling out the Jets for having leaks within the organization, keeping the “BS” out of the building, and focusing on winning. Many pointed out the hypocrisy as Rodgers discussed plenty of non-football topics and criticized celebrities like Jimmy Kimmel. According to Russini, Aaron Glenn and the new Jets regime told Rodgers that they wanted no part of that anymore, and the end result was Gang Green electing to move on.
So, was that really a deciding factor for Glenn and company? Evan and Tiki doubt it, but Evan believes it was a clever way for the Jets new head coach to gauge whether Rodgers would be truly willing to buy into the new regime’s philosophy.
“You ask them a question, and the answer is gonna tell you a lot about other things,” Evan said. “So, Aaron Glenn sits in a room, looks Aaron Rodgers in the eye, and says ‘We don’t want you doing Pat McAfee.’ I don’t think Aaron Glenn cares about him doing Pat McAfee...i think you ask that question as a sign of if this guy is really gonna be completely bought in and live under the same roof as his teammates.
“I think that was a test, and I think it was smart.”
Russini detailed on the Scoop City podcast that the Jets, specifically Glenn and new general manager Darren Mougey, made it clear to Rodgers, “If you’re going to be part of this team, you’re going to attend all of training camp. You’re not going to do Pat McAfee interviews anymore.” Russini added that Rodgers was likely going to move on anyway, but Evan still credited Glenn for asking the questions and making the expectations clear to the future Hall of Famer, even if it could have played a part in the two sides parting ways, which leaves a big question mark at the quarterback position in 2025.