Jets’ Aaron Rodgers reveals if he considered vice presidential role.
One of the more unexpected stories of the NFL offseason involved independent 2024 presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asking New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers to be his vice presidential running mate.
During a sit-down interview with well-known media personality Tucker Carlson, Rodgers indicated he at least considered accepting Kennedy’s offer.
“That’s why I was interested when Bobby came to me and said, ‘Would you think about being my running mate?’ And I said, ‘Are you serious? I’m a [expletive] football player,'” Rodgers told Carlson, as shared by Sean Keeley of Awful Announcing. “But I love this country, and I’d love to be a part of bringing it back to what she used to be. I thought about it. I definitely thought about it because I love Bobby, and I just wanted to hear what he had to say about it.”
It’s unclear how Rodgers would’ve campaigned through the fall while preparing for and playing in an NFL season.
The last 13 months have probably been the most unique of Rodgers’ Hall of Fame career. He officially joined the Jets in April 2023 via a trade from the Green Bay Packers to serve as New York’s QB1 and mentor 2021 first-round draft pick Zach Wilson.
However, Rodgers suffered a torn Achilles early into the regular-season opener this past September, and his relationship with Wilson allegedly “soured” throughout the campaign before the Jets sent the 24-year-old to the Denver Broncos this spring.
More recently, it was reported that the Jets “made legitimate attempts this offseason to hire someone who would, essentially replace” Nathaniel Hackett, Rodgers’ hand-picked offensive coordinator. The Jets ultimately retained Hackett, head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas.
As for Rodgers’ ambitions, Jets owner Woody Johnson suggested last month that the 40-year-old “is getting back to football 100 percent” following his injury.
Going just by his words, it sounds like Rodgers seriously contemplated campaigning alongside Kennedy before RFK Jr. chose attorney and entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan for the role.
“…I love this country, and I want to see it thrive,” Rodgers told Carlson, per Armando Salguero of Outkick. Rodgers also referred to himself as “super patriotic” during the interview.
This past winter, Rodgers teased that he could play in the NFL for another “two, three or four more years.” While it seems he’s now all in on featuring for the Jets, Johnson could end the team’s latest experiment next offseason if Rodgers fails to guide the club to the playoffs and/or isn’t available for the bulk of his second campaign with the organization.
