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Unworried about His Tweaked Calf, Aaron Rodgers Having 'Fun' at Jets' OTAs
It's his calf.
New York Jets' quarterback Aaron Rodgers addressed reporters following Tuesday's OTAs and explained what prevented him from practicing.
"I just tweaked my calf in the little pre-practice conditioning, so I decided to take a vet day," said Rodgers. "I don't think it's too serious."
Rodgers spent the day on the sidelines while former No. 2 overall draft pick Zach Wilson led the first-string offense.
The 39-year old, who owns four NFL MVP awards, has been working out with his new teammates since officially joining the organization on April 26.
"It's been awesome. It's been a lot of fun," said Rodgers. "I haven't been to OTAs in the last couple years, so it's been nice to kinda be out here, be in the meetings."
Rodgers, who stayed away from voluntary workouts last spring in Green Bay, appears to be "all in" on seamlessly transitioning into Green & White.
"I got a great set-up [to train] out west," said Rodgers. "When you're in the same offense for a long time, you know, the offseason is really for the young players. But, with a new offense, being my first year here, I really wanted to be around for at least some of the beginning things to just let them know how I like to do things."
Rodgers, a 2005 first-round draft pick, looked good during a highlight posted by the Jets' social media team on Monday. The veteran signal caller rolled out to his right, executed a nasty pump fake and ran for a touchdown.
"It's been cool," said Jets' head coach Robert Saleh about having Rodgers on the team. "I joke around that he's closer to a coach than he is a player at this point in his career. He's a fantastic mind, he's a fantastic conversation, so, it's been all positive."
Rodgers has completed 18 seasons in the NFL and has thrown for the ninth-highest yardage total (59,055) in League annals. His 475 touchdowns passes rank him fifth all-time.
READ Rodgers Spends Tuesday on Sidelines at Jets' OTAs
Jets' new offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett spent three seasons (2019-21) with Rodgers in Green Bay and coached the star quarterback to back-to-back MVP honors (2020, 2021).
"The relationship he has with Hackett. It's a very fluid, very open dialogue, which is awesome," said Saleh.
Despite the familiarity with Hackett's scheme, Rodgers still needs to develop a relationship with his new passing targets.
"Getting on the same page between quarterback and receiver, there's nuance to it," said Saleh. "The playbook says one thing, but you may have to shave a route. You might have to do something a little bit different."
Above all, Rodgers seems to be fitting in with his new co-workers and he sounds satisfied with Saleh's leadership style.
"I really enjoy the freedom of expression. Guys are themselves, all the time," said Rodgers. "They enjoy showing their personalities off and he [Saleh] allows for the silliness at times."
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