Aaron Rodgers puts Sauce Gardner, Jets teammates in tough position

To Gardner's credit, Rodgers is a veteran and has earned the right to miss a few days of practice, but considering Rodgers' past comments and previous season, he shouldn't have missed those practices.

Rodgers suffered a season-ending injury almost instantly in his debut season with the Jets in 2023. After four snaps, the quarterback spent the entire year on the sidelines. 

After a disastrous debut season, Rodgers stated that he wanted to focus on winning headed into the 2024 season.

"Anything in this building that we're doing individually or collectively that has nothing to do with real winning needs to be assessed," Rodgers told reporters via ESPN. "If you want to be a winning organization and put yourself in position to win championships and be competitive, everything that you do matters."

Missing days of practice doesn't appear to have anything to do with "real winning." If "everything that you do matters," Rodgers should be at practice. 

Rodgers' absence puts his teammates in a rough spot. If they speak out they face angering the franchise quarterback. Even if they aren't happy with Rodgers, players or coaches are better off keeping their comments to themselves.

Gardner could even be a better leader than Rodgers at this point. In his first two seasons in the NFL, the cornerback has earned two All-Pro and Pro Bowl nods. He was also named Rookie of the Year in 2022.

So Rodgers seems to contradict his earlier statements. If he wants to win in New York, he must be committed. His missing practice indicates this might not be the case.