Aaron Rodgers' foray into politics came down to one thing: Whether or not he wanted to keep playing football.
The Jets quarterback was reportedly among those being considered to join the ticket for presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. That never manifested, and now Rodgers is back with the Jets for the 2024 season a year after he tore his Achilles in Week 1.
But when asked about the possibility of a Vice President Rodgers in 2024, the 41-year-old gunslinger simply stated that he didn't want to step away from football just yet.
"There were really two options: Retire or be his VP or keep playing," Rodgers said Tuesday. "I wanted to keep playing."
This aligns with what Rodgers told Tucker Carlson on the ex-Fox News host's podcast on May 14. Rodgers said he "thought about" joining RFJ Jr.'s ticket because he wanted "to be a part of bringing [the country] back to what she used to be." Rodgers also discussed retiring in 2022 before the Packers traded him to the Jets and for a moment thought his career was over after he tore his Achilles in Week 1.
Glean from that what you will.
In the end, Kennedy Jr. picked Nicole Shanahan to be his running mate for 2024 and Rodgers returned to football.
The reality for Rodgers and the Jets is now — conceivably — the focus will be on football. Organized team activities are here and Rodgers is back at practice with "no limitations," according to Jets head coach Robert Saleh.
The Jets added key pieces to the offense around Rodgers this offseason.
General manager Joe Douglas spent money and draft capital to add four new offensive linemen in Tyron Smith, Morgan Moses, John Simpson and 2024 first-rounder Olu Fashanu. New York also signed veteran wide receiver Mike Williams and traded up to draft Malachi Corley in the third round. Douglas even signed veteran backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor in case Rodgers misses time again and drafted two running backs on Day 3 in Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis to help spell Breece Hall out of the backfield.
The irony of Rodgers even having to discuss the VP reports is that it's the direct opposite of what he said in January about getting the "bulls---" out of the building that doesn't have to go with winning. Rodgers explained that his offseason "opportunities" on podcasts or other media aren't distractions because they're in the offseason.
"Those are offseason things. Those are real opportunities," Rodgers said Tuesday. "Mostly podcasts with friends of mine and the Bobby thing … how it got out there, I don’t know, but it wasn’t from me. Once the season starts, it’s all about football."
Part of the problem for Rodgers is there hasn't been much football lately. He missed all but four snaps of the entire 2023 season — which left a lot of time for him to talk. Whether that was on ESPN's "Pat McAfee Show" or otherwise. The hope for Rodgers and the Jets is that he remains healthy and can do exactly what he said he wants to do — stick to football.
