Aaron Rodgers stirred up controversy when he missed the Jets mandatory minicamp last month.
The veteran quarterback opted to take a brief vacation to Egypt, missing two practice days as part of the team's scheduled OTAs. The two days he missed were mandatory, although Rodgers had been at camp for the previous 10 days.
"They can arbitrarily put a tag on whatever week of OTAs they want and say, 'This is the minicamp week,' which makes it somehow more mandatory than the other weeks," Rodgers said on "Pardon My Take" earlier this week. "But it was an OTA schedule. That's how words can be a little deceiving from time to time.
"They can make a story out of the fact that I missed minicamp, but it was really two OTA days, but [I] came to the first 10."
He's since downplayed the vacation, while also offering an explanation for why he went to Egypt. The Jets fined the 40-year-old for his "unexcused" absence, but Rodgers said it was not an issue in the locker room.
Rodgers talked to reporters on Wednesday, July 24 about the Egypt trip. Here's what he had to say.
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Why Aaron Rodgers skipped Jets minicamp for Egypt
The Egypt trip wasn't a last-minute decision. Rodgers had planned this over a year in advance while rehabbing from his torn Achilles. He said it was a "bucket list" trip.
"Back in the doldrums of the rehab, I thought it would be fun to put together a trip with some friends," Rodgers said. "And we wanted to plan it kind of the middle of June. Looked at the previous year’s schedule and felt like I was going to be safe."
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Rodgers added that he tried to "move things around" once he saw that mandatory minicamp landed at the time of his trip. He spoke with Robert Saleh and teammates prior, notifying them that he would miss two days of practice.
"Look, I made it a point to be at every OTA," Rodgers said. "I was at the physical [and media] day before the start of minicamp. I missed the two practices. I had talks with all my teammates about it. I think they understood. It’s obviously more of an issue outside the building than it was inside the building."
The Jets still fined Rodgers with Saleh calling the absence "unexcused," but Rodgers knew the consequences.
"It is what it is," Rodgers said. "I’m an adult. I knew what I was getting into. I knew the fine that was coming. And I also knew how much I wanted to be in Egypt. I wish there hadn’t been a conflict, scheduling-wise. But it was what it was."
