Docuseries director discusses narratives about Aaron Rodgers

The "Aaron Rodgers: Enigma" Netflix docuseries released in 2024 gave football fans and critics of the New York Jets quarterback, alike, a unique inside look at the future Hall of Famer. 

During a recent appearance on the "Up & Adams Show with Kay Adams," "Enigma" director Gotham Chopra touched upon what some outsiders get wrong regarding certain takes about Rodgers' personality.

"That he doesn't care," Chopra said, as shared by Eva Geitheim of Sports Illustrated. "That he's so aloof that it doesn't bother him, that he's not paying attention, that he doesn't have good relationships with his teammates. I was around him...he has great relationships. All the people we talked to, especially going back to [his days with the Green Bay Packers from 2005-22], there was deep affection for him."

While Rodgers' relationship with former Jets backup signal-caller Zach Wilson allegedly "soured" as the 41-year-old spent the bulk of the 2023 season recovering from a torn Achilles, multiple Jets teammates sang the veteran's praises and defended Rodgers during his two-year stint with the organization. Some in the locker room publicly campaigned for the Jets to run it back with Rodgers for one more campaign, and recently-hired head coach Aaron Glenn acknowledged during the NFL Scouting Combine that some players disagreed with the decision to move on from Rodgers this offseason. 

"This idea that he's so aloof that he doesn't care is a misconception," Chopra added during the interview. "He cares. He's obviously super competitive. Last season, he had ambitions and goals. He worked really hard physically, mentally, emotionally to come back from a pretty dark injury. When you get hurt at 39 years old, that type of injury and you commit to coming back and it doesn't go well...I think it was really difficult. People assumed certain things and don't know how much it pained him to go through that experience."

More recently, Rodgers dealt with injuries to both of his knees, a low ankle sprain and a serious hamstring problem that impacted his play this past season. Reports recently linked him with the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants, and it sounds like the "super-competitive" one-time Super Bowl champion may feel he has something to prove to doubters later this year assuming a different team signs him whenever his divorce from the Jets becomes official.