Jets' D.J. Reed defends, praises Aaron Rodgers amid minicamp controversy

Cornerback D.J. Reed is among noteworthy members of the New York Jets seemingly unbothered by the fact that quarterback Aaron Rodgers skipped the club's two-day mandatory minicamp as an unexcused absence this week.

"Honestly, bro, A.R. [Rodgers] has been here for the majority of [organized team activities]," Reed said about the situation on Wednesday, per Antwan Staley of the New York Daily News. "He has been here before I was here. I think he was here the first day, phase one, phase two. He has been here for the majority of practices that weren’t mandatory."

Reed's comments weren't surprising, as Jets head coach Robert Saleh and running back Breece Hall both defended Rodgers even though the club reportedly is fining the future Hall of Famer for missing the mandatory sessions due to what Saleh described as "an event that was very important to him."

On Wednesday, NFL insider Dianna Russini of The Athletic directly said that Rodgers made "a choice to not be at football practice" ahead of the club's summer break.

"I think I seen something that Saleh said that A.R. had something important he had to attend and that’s our quarterback," Reed continued. "If it’s important to him, it’s important to us. It’s really not a big deal."

Votes of confidence from Reed, Hall and others make it easy to understand why Rodgers allegedly holds plenty of power even though he's thus far given the Jets just four meaningful offensive snaps over the past 14 months. 

In the 40-year-old coming off a torn Achilles, Reed and others see a savior who is a four-time regular-season Most Valuable Player and one of the most gifted athletes to ever play the sport's most important position at the highest level.

"What he does, it can’t be duplicated," Reed added about Rodgers, as shared by Steve Serby of the New York Post. "He literally makes everybody around him better. It’s something I really never seen before. When A.R.’s at quarterback, even the receivers feel a little bit better, the tight ends feel a little bit better, the running back … everybody just ups their game when he’s here. The confidence he has, but also the talent. He’s very talented, very smart, very calculated."

As of Thursday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Rodgers as the betting favorite at +125 odds to win the Comeback Player of the Year Award for the upcoming season. 

Rodgers missing a pair of June practices will become little more than a laughable story if he claims that honor en route to guiding the Jets to at least a playoff berth.