Not even Aaron Rodgers can stop the Patriots from attacking the Jets.
In fact, former Patriots standout Julian Edelman specifically targeted Rodgers as the latest critic of the future Hall of Fame quarterback’s decision to miss mandatory minicamp from June 11-13.
Rodgers’ absence due to a previous, unknown commitment was something the team could not afford.
“I think it’s a bad look for a leader to be absent, no matter what the reason,” Edelman said Friday during an appearance on FS1’s “The Herd with Colin Cowherd.” “I was with Tom Brady when he was in his 25th or 23rd year, and he was a [voluntary] “We had OTAs here and there, but I never missed a mandatory minicamp. I just thought it was a bad look.”
The Brady analogy isn’t perfect, because Brady missed 11 days of training camp, which is far more important to his preparation than minicamp, for his final season with the Buccaneers in 2022, for reasons that were not disclosed.
Brady and his then-wife Gisele Bundchen divorced later that year.
Rodgers took a different approach to spring training by participating in voluntary OTAs, allowing him to practice while still returning from a ruptured Achilles tendon he suffered in the 2023 season opener.
The drills used and non-contact rules that apply during OTAs and minicamps are very similar, with the main difference being that missing mandatory workouts will result in a fine from the team.
“I’m a big Aaron Rodgers fan,” Edelman said, “but if I was in the locker room and Aaron Rodgers wasn’t there for the three-day minicamp, he’d only played four snaps since being injured, we had two new receivers. [and] You add a bunch of new linemen to your team and you can’t practice much because of the CBA? There must be four or five, maybe six, seven, eight, nine guys sitting in the locker room asking, “Where is he?”
While it hasn’t been made public where Rodgers has been — he was sharing a spot with the Jets — rumors are flying.
The Jets would have tolerated Rodgers’ absence under normal circumstances, such as a family matter like a birth or death.
“I know a lot of people would do it differently,” Edelman said, “but God forbid the New York Jets start the season 1-3. They’re going to play the Niners, Tennessee, the Patriots and a bunch of other teams. We all know the Patriots suck, but that defense is still the same.” [tough] It’s defense, and that’s the defense Aaron will be playing against.
“If they go 1-3, it’s going to be a huge disruption in the locker room because everyone is going to be talking about it. This is New York City. It’s the media capital of the world.”
