Jets players defend Aaron Rodgers amid uncertainty, criticisms

ESPN's Rich Cimini noted that the New York Jets' divorce from quarterback Aaron Rodgers became official at 4 p.m. ET Wednesday even though the club didn't go out of the way to "announce the procedural move." 

Outsiders may think that says plenty about how some in the Jets locker room feel about Rodgers, but a couple of his former teammates came to his defense via comments recently offered to London sports outlet TalkSport.

"I just feel like he does it the right way," Jets running back Isaiah Davis said about Rodgers. "He's 20-plus years in the league and he's one of the hardest workers in the weight room. You take from him the work ethic. And no matter what you've done in your career -- in NFL or in life -- you know hard work is going to pay off."

Rodgers' two-year Jets tenure was filled with far more downs than ups. He essentially missed the entire 2023 season after he suffered a torn Achilles in Week 1 that September, and he dealt with multiple physical issues as the 2024 Jets went 5-12. 

Additionally, Rodgers' relationships with certain teammates came into question before it became clear that team owner Woody Johnson wanted to go in a different direction this winter. New general manager Darren Mougey and first-time head coach Aaron Glenn ultimately agreed with Johnson's assessment of the situation. 

Nevertheless, Jets linebacker Quincy Williams referred to Rodgers as a "great guy" while speaking with TalkSport. 

"He cares about football," Williams said. "He cares about winning. That's the crazy thing -- he cares about football. He cares about how the people in his locker room feel about him, that's the main thing. So all the conversations outside, he's not really worried about. It's about the guys in the locker room that he played with, next to, that trust him when the ball gets in his hand."

As of late Thursday morning, stories linked Rodgers with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants. While the 41-year-old may be physically no longer capable of playing at a high level, it sounds like at least some Jets players would've happily welcomed Rodgers back for one more season.