Aaron Rodgers disliked how Robert Saleh addressed his absence from New York Jets mandatory minicamp
The New York Jets’ Aaron Rodgers mandatory minicamp drama is a story that keeps on giving. It gave some fodder for the media (including me) to write about during the dog days of summer.
One of the widespread questions surrounding Rodgers’ absence is why Robert Saleh chose to announce that it was unexcused. As ESPN’s Rich Cimini explained on The Score Boord Podcast, Saleh was trying to accomplish two conflicting objectives. He wanted to play down Rodgers’ nonattendance while not giving Haason Reddick a reason to accuse the Jets of preferential treatment (as Reddick also missed mandatory minicamp).
Still, as Cimini suggested, Saleh could have simply announced that Rodgers would miss minicamp beforehand to preempt the story.
Apparently, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, Rodgers himself had the same question about Saleh’s presentation of the situation. Considering that he had notified the Jets about his trip to Egypt a while in advance, he was not expecting to be hung out to dry in front of the New York media and his teammates. Therefore, he went to Saleh to ask him about the unexcused language.
Saleh and Rodgers talked things out and settled the matter. It’s likely Saleh explained why he felt he had to say unexcused.
What matters most is that Rodgers will be there on July 23 when the Jets report for training camp. He had a strong OTA period and continued the chemistry he had built with Garrett Wilson before the 2023 season. As long as he plays that way, especially with the glare of Hard Knocks no longer on the Jets, this whole situation will be as inconsequential as it should have been to begin with.
