Aaron Rodgers' Pop Quizzes, Involvement in Meetings Discussed by Jets Teammates

Since the arrival of star quarterback Aaron Rodgers, things have been vastly different for the New York Jets not just on the field, but off of it as well.

ESPN's Rich Cimini reports that while offensive meetings are led by offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, Rodgers is also a voice of authority, and the signal-caller "will go around the room, quizzing players from the various position groups." His pop quizzes don't sound easy, either, as he "will ask a player his assignment on a particular play, then change it up by testing that same player on how he would adjust if the play gets changed at the line of scrimmage."

Thanks to his willingness to speak up, it hasn't taken Rodgers long to earn the respect of his teammates.

"We'll be in the meeting and Hack will be talking, then Aaron will butt in real quick," running back Breece Hall said. "You feel that sense of calm, but you also know you have to be on your stuff."

"He makes it different," guard Laken Tomlinson said of Rodgers. "He makes it different with his confidence. He makes it different with his communication. He makes it different with his high level of play. Having all that mesh into that position, it's truly special working with someone of that caliber. He makes everyone be on their A-game every day."

Veteran offensive tackle Duane Brown, who has played with talented starters such as Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson, said, "I've been around some really good quarterbacks, but just the command he has with everything, it's different."

Rodgers is enjoying a freedom of expression that he wasn't afforded with the Green Bay Packers under head coach Matt LaFleur. Cimini noted that "Rodgers was vocal in Green Bay's meetings—he said so himself—but there's a difference between speaking up and being heard." It helps that he has a close personal relationship with Hackett, who acted as a bridge between Rodgers and LaFleur when he was the Packers' offensive coordinator from 2019 to 2021.

"The worst thing you can see in a meeting is a coach up there talking the entire time with no interaction," Rodgers said. "That might be the standard at some places, but I just never felt that's been the right way to do things. It needs to be a free-flowing conversation between the coaches and the players. There needs to be feedback, you need to call on guys. So I'm allowed to do some of that stuff."

The Jets hope the synergy between Rodgers and Hackett will lead to success on the field, as they are aiming to end a 12-year playoff drought this season.