Robert Saleh had said last week that he planned to have three permanent captains this season, “one for each phase of football.”
To no one’s surprise, a first-year player with the team received that designation on the offensive side of the ball.
Four-time league MVP Aaron Rodgers was voted the offensive captain on Monday, joining incumbents CJ Mosley (defense) and Justin Hardee (special teams), with a fourth to be rotated in on game days.
According to Saleh, the 39-year-old Rodgers has fully embraced his leadership role on and off the field throughout his first training camp with the Jets.
“Aaron has been fantastic, he really has,” Saleh said on Monday, with no scheduled media availability one day later. “He’s been unbelievable with his voice, his messaging, his nurturing of the young guys around him, and hopefully as we continue to go through this season.”
If anyone uniquely understands the challenges Rodgers is facing this season — leaving a lengthy Hall of Fame run with the only NFL team he’s ever played for, for a franchise and fan base hungry for a championship — it is Tom Brady.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion — six over two decades with the Patriots and one in his first season with the Buccaneers in 2020 — believes Rodgers looks rejuvenated in New York and “will have a great year” with the overhauled Jets.
“He’ll be invigorated. Looks like he’s having a good time up to this year,” Brady said Monday on the “Let’s Go” podcast on SiriusXM. “I know he’s been engaged in the offseason, which is always great, and really trying to connect with his teammates. So I’m excited to see what he does.
“They have a really good team. They have a really good offense. And, you know, Aaron’s been, when he’s got good receivers, man, it’s pretty dangerous. … I think he’s gonna have a great year.”
The Jets also have added several weapons around Rodgers, including Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook and two former Packers teammates, wide receivers Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb.
A defensive unit that ranked fourth in the NFL last season also is boasting lofty expectations, with cornerback D.J. Reed saying Monday that he believes the D can be “historical,” offering comparisons to the 1985 Bears and the 2013 “Legion of Boom” Seahawks.
“What excites me is I know that we’re going to see adversity, there’s going to be adversity, it’s not going to be a perfect season,” Saleh said. “There are going to be ups and downs, and there is always going to be noise surrounding this team win, lose or draw.
“But what excites me about the group like I’ve said earlier, I think they do a good job blocking it all out. I think we keep it focused on us, and a guy like Aaron and all the veterans that we have, have the ability to help these young guys stay on that track.”
Rodgers’ personality has been on display for the past several weeks on HBO’s “Hard Knocks,” which has shown the 10-time Pro Bowler being hard on himself and holding others accountable.
He also has attended various sporting events with his teammates since signing with the Jets, most recently with Cobb and tight end C.J. Uzomah on Sunday at the U.S. Open.
The former Packers star played only two series during the preseason, both against the Giants, in preparation for Monday’s season opener against the Bills.
He completed five of eight passes for 47 yards, including a 14-yard touchdown strike to Garrett Wilson.
“There’s a different energy about it. It’s a newness,” Brady said. “It’s a fresh start to try to take [them] where you’ve been. … So it’s like you go through a lot of years at one place and there’s a lot of, I would say, mental scar tissue, from losses or relationships, or certain experiences.
“Now you go to a new place and you have none of that. So now, you can just hopefully bring your best, knowing that you probably didn’t do everything right where you were, but you tried your best. And now you get to go to a new place with a different type of emotional energy. And I’m excited for him.”
