Does Aaron Rodgers want to bring a second Super Bowl to New Jersey?
Rodgers on Monday inadvertently weighed in on the long-running debate over whether the Jets (and Giants) actually belong to New York or New Jersey, even though both teams currently have training facilities in New Jersey and play their home games at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford.
During an appearance on the “Pardon My Take” podcast, Rodgers spoke about buying a home in New Jersey near Florham Park, where the Jets are headquartered.
The Giants are headquartered in East Rutherford.
“Nobody [on the team] “Giants fans could do it, but with all the traffic going into the tunnel I don’t see why we would. We’re kidding ourselves. The stadium used to be on Long Island, but we’re the New Jersey Jets. So are the Giants.”
Some longtime Jets fans, especially those living in Queens and Long Island, may not like the comments.
All will be forgiven, though, if Rodgers delivers on one more joke.
When the host asked if he would be inducted into the Hall of Fame as a Jet instead of a Packer if he won two Super Bowls with the Jets, Rodgers laughed.
“I think we have to,” Rodgers said.
Rodgers spent 18 seasons with the Packers, 15 as the starting quarterback and winning one Super Bowl, but in his first season with the Jets, a much-anticipated prospect, he played just four games before suffering a season-ending Achilles tendon injury.
The Jets open training camp on Tuesday and begin a new season with high expectations.
Rodgers, who turns 41 on Dec. 2, is attempting to become just the 10th quarterback in NFL history to throw a pass in his age-41 season without having to come back from a major season-ending call the previous year.
So how many more seasons will he play? Rodgers said he hasn’t decided yet, before walking back his earlier joke.
“That’s for sure,” Rodgers said, “I wanted to play a good game, I wanted to have a chance to retire with the Jets and win two Super Bowls.”
Ironically, this is completely meaningless because, unlike the Baseball Hall of Fame, the Pro Football Hall of Fame does not assign any team designations to its inductees.
