CJ Mosley has yet to incur Aaron Rodgers’ wrath.
The Jets linebacker is in his fifth season with the team and is one of the veterans in the locker room, but he wasn’t one of the players Rodgers vocally chastised or cajoled during the heat of the first few days of training camp.
But Mosley, who captains the defense opposite Rodgers, likes the way the 40-year-old Hall of Fame candidate quarterback pushes his teammates to set a standard not seen in this area for a long time.
Probably never before.
Rodgers is not only the most intriguing player in the NFL right now, but also a player who has done everything in the game and who raises intriguing questions about what he has left at his age after an Achilles injury marred his first season with the Jets.
He is also the highest-paid assistant coach in NFL history.
“He’s a true player-coach, that’s just how it is,” Mosley told The Post after Wednesday’s practice. “He’s on the field, but he’s also putting guys in the right positions, he’s checking them, and if anybody makes a mistake, whether it’s a guard, a center or a receiver, you’re going to hear them.”
During a period of inconsistent and unevenness in practice earlier this week, some of Rodgers’ offensive teammates were listening.
Rodgers, at times during the two days of full-padded practices leading up to Wednesday, appeared like a teacher annoyed at his students not concentrating, engaging in animated conversations with his players to try to make things right.
“This is the standard he started and the offense has to live up to it,” Mosley said with admiration in his voice.
“He’s a coach on the field,” head coach Robert Saleh said Wednesday.
Considering offensive coaching isn’t exactly a strength for the Jets in 2023, having Rodgers serve as the de facto offensive coordinator wouldn’t be a bad thing for Saleh. In fact, it would be a very good thing.
Rodgers is not only the most important player on the team, he’s also the most important assistant coach.
The great thing about this is that Rodgers embraces his dual role.
“There’s a standard that we want to set and there’s a responsibility that comes with that in practice and the standard is very high,” Rodgers said. “I want to encourage my players to believe in themselves more than they think they can at the time. I want to get my players to realize their potential, to believe in themselves and try to find ways to help them develop.”
“It’s the same standard I hold myself to on the practice field: excellence, attention to detail and preparation.”
Rogers described himself as “a little calmer than when I was younger. … A little angrier.”
And with his next words, Rodgers spoke in such a coachy tone that it seemed he was channeling one of the greatest coaches of all time, Bill Parcells, who knew just how to incite the anger of his players.
“You can’t coach everybody the same,” Rodgers said. “Some guys you can give a hard time. Some guys you have to pull aside and talk to. Some guys want to do it on the field. Some guys you pull aside in the locker room. It’s up to the player.”
“You have to set the standard and hold your guys accountable to that standard in practice and to make sure things go the way you want them to. Sometimes you just need a little injection of energy.”
Rodgers, the player-coach, does all of the above.
Among the two key offensive players he “talked” to during an irregular practice earlier this week were receiver Garrett Wilson and center Joe Tippmann, who has struggled with snapping yips this summer.
Every Jets player should aspire to reach Rodgers’ level because they want to go where he has been and where he wants to go again: the Super Bowl.
“He’s been there and he’s done it. He won a Super Bowl and was the MVP of the league,” Mosley said. “When the clock was hitting zero, he found a way to win. He found a way.”
“What he demands from his offensive linemen and his teammates is something to respect. He’s a great leader. His leadership style may be different for different people. You may not like his leadership off the field when he’s not there, but when he’s on the field he’s always sharing information and making the team better.”
“He doesn’t act like that kind of guy. He acts like someone who wants to be part of a team, earn everybody’s trust and help win a championship.”
And after all, what more could this title-starved franchise ask for?
