New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (left) and head coach Robert Saleh (right). Tom Horak-USA TODAY Sports

Rex Ryan responds to Jets not wanting 'Hard Knocks'

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 7/18/23

Rex Ryan sounds convinced the New York Jets and quarterback Aaron Rodgers should embrace being this summer's team for the HBO "Hard Knocks" program.

"I think Aaron Rodgers is going to be freaking great," Ryan recently told Andrew Marchand of the New York Post about the show featuring the four-time NFL Most Valuable Player. "Aaron Rodgers is extremely confident in himself. Yeah, he’s different, but so what? He embraces it. He ain’t a guy that is going to run from anything. He could care less. He’s going to be him and I think that’s great. I think people will enjoy it."

Ryan, an NFL analyst for ESPN, served as head coach of the Jets when "Hard Knocks" cameras filmed the club's training-camp activities in the summer of 2010. As Sporting News' Dan Treacy mentioned last week, Ryan emerged as arguably the top personality from that season thanks to numerous clips consistently revisited by fans to this day:

Rex Ryan: "Let’s go eat a g— snack."

The last time the Jets were on Hard Knocks

: @Pickswise pic.twitter.com/jVF5TTY6zy
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) July 12, 2023

The current Jets aren't hiding they want nothing to do with "Hard Knocks" ahead of Rodgers' first season with the organization following his much-anticipated move from the Green Bay Packers. Head coach Robert Saleh acknowledged in June his Jets were not among teams that "would love 'Hard Knocks' to be in their building," and Rodgers noted last week that "they forced ('Hard Knocks') down our throats and we’ve got to deal with it."

The expectations and possible controversies hovering over the Jets due to having Rodgers atop their depth chart made them appealing for the reality television show. Ryan insisted the 2023 Jets will "kick a--" regardless of the preseason distraction but also suggested coaches would prefer for the program to simply go away.

"No coach wants to do 'Hard Knocks,'" Ryan told Marchand. "Nobody wants to do it."

As of early Tuesday afternoon, OddsChecker listed the Jets seventh among betting favorites at +2000 odds to win Super Bowl LVIII this coming February. One wonders if "Hard Knocks" footage will impact such numbers before the Jets open the regular season versus the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 11.

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