The Aaron Rodgers era has not gone as planned for the New York Jets.
On Sunday, at the Union Grounds sports bar in Cobble Hill, the mood among Jets fans was resigned, even relaxed, as the team lost yet another game, this time to the Los Angeles Rams. Many said they had accepted their team’s fate weeks ago.
Sunday’s loss meant the Jets' record is 4-11; they have been eliminated from the playoffs for the 14th straight year. For Rodgers, it has been one of the worst statistical seasons of his career.
Fans sporting Jets gear had plenty to say about their star quarterback over spiked hot chocolate, the go-to drink on a frigid Sunday afternoon.
Joe Martinez, left, and Will Perry.
“I might as well continue watching Aaron Rodgers,” said Sam Catalano, 30, a Jets fan from Williamsburg, Brooklyn. “It’s better than going through another painful rebuilding process.”
While most fans said they have been disappointed with the Jets’ season, they had mixed feelings about Rodgers’ future with the team.
“He brings a little drama to the game,” said Will Perry of Carroll Gardens, in a Jets winter cap and jacket. “I think that’s kind of why we watch the game to begin with, especially when your team sucks for so long. I do enjoy it. I hope he is our quarterback next year.”
Sunday’s game also coincided with the start of the Netflix docuseries, “Enigma,” released last week, which centers on Rodgers’ career and his challenges on and off the field, ranging from his Achilles injury to his politics.
Rodgers is arguably the most polarizing pro athlete in America, and has become notorious for speaking publicly about his controversial positions, which have included advocating for the hallucinogenic drug Ayahuasca, and his skepticism of COVID-19 vaccines.
While none of the fans interviewed by Gothamist had seen "Enigma" yet, they said they felt like they had a pretty good sense of Rodgers already.
“We knew who he was when he got to New York,” Joe Martinez said over a hot chocolate and a bowl of chicken noodle soup. “We already knew about his tendencies and we accepted it because we want to win.”
Seth Sherman
Joe Martinez
Martinez said he wants to give Rodgers another year.
Jets fans had high hopes for their team when Aaron Rodgers was signed in 2023 for a three-year, $112.5 million dollar contract.
Finally, the franchise had a star quarterback, which the Jets had been missing for years – and the one essential ingredient that every team needs to have any hope of winning the sport’s ultimate prize, the Super Bowl.
The Jets’ 2023 season was almost immediately derailed when Rodgers tore his Achilles tendon on the fourth play of the year, ending his season.
Rodgers’ future beyond this season is murky. He’s expensive, hasn’t performed his best and he’s also 41 and has said he's contemplating whether or not he still wants to play football.
And do fans even want their controversial quarterback to return?
“Absolutely not,” said Seth Sherman, 66, from Flushing, citing Rodger’s subpar play and his controversial views. “He’s a far-right nut, and I don’t go for those people.”
“If you look at his season and compared with other Jets quarterbacks, it's one of the better ones in franchise history,” said Catalano, about Rodgers’ year. And as for the drama off the field? Catalano said he just wanted to see Rodgers on “the back of the [New York] Post with really good puns and really good headlines.”
