How former Jets WR knew Aaron Glenn would release Aaron Rodgers

In January, former NFL wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson guaranteed that his ex-teammate, first-year New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn, would not "start off his career with Aaron Rodgers as his quarterback in September." 

Johnson was right, as a new-look Jets regime led by Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey decided in February that Rodgers would be leaving the club after two underwhelming seasons. 

For a piece published on Wednesday, Johnson spoke with The Athletic's Ian O'Connor about his accurate prediction. 

"I’m the first person to ever say Aaron Rodgers was not going to be on this year’s team," Johnson explained. "I didn’t get it from anybody; I just knew from looking at all the coaches Aaron Glenn has learned from: Bill Parcells. Bill Belichick. Sean Payton. Dan Campbell. I knew how they would deal with Aaron Rodgers, so I knew how AG would deal with him. AG is his own man, and he doesn’t stand for any nonsense."

Before Johnson made his initial guarantee, Parcells and New Orleans Saints legend Drew Brees mentioned that Glenn "doesn’t [mess] around" and will be "a leader of men." 

It remains somewhat unclear if the "nonsense" referenced by Johnson has anything to do with Rodgers' weekly in-season appearances on "The Pat McAfee Show." In June 2024, Rodgers skipped the Jets' two-day mandatory minicamp because of a pre-planned trip to Egypt. He subsequently won just five of 17 starts coming off the season-ending torn Achilles tendon he suffered in September 2023.

Johnson's comments indicate the Jets wouldn't have tolerated Rodgers remaining an unsigned free agent through early June as he dealt with undisclosed personal matters. Rodgers ultimately signed a team-friendly contract to join the Pittsburgh Steelers ahead of their three-day mandatory minicamp, and he seems to be quite popular among his new teammates. 

Meanwhile, Jets players have embraced Glenn holding more "physical" practices during training camp after former head coach Robert Saleh went 20-36 as Gang Green head coach before he was fired last fall. 

"Aaron Glenn is going to get in people’s ear and tell them what time it is, and that’s who he was as a player," Johnson added. "There are so many bulls----ers in this business, and he isn’t one of them. I haven’t been to a Jets game since they traded me (in 2000), and the only reason I’m going to the Jets-Giants preseason game is Aaron Glenn."

The Giants will represent the home team on Saturday against the Jets at MetLife Stadium. 

In March, the Jets took a flier on 26-year-old quarterback Justin Fields when they signed him to a two-year, $40M contract that included $30M guaranteed. They can escape that deal as soon as next offseason, but it sounds like Glenn would rather start from scratch in 2026 than put up with Rodgers for a single campaign.