Jets' Aaron Rodgers Is 'a Coach That Can Still Play Football,' Robert Saleh Says

Aaron Rodgers loves the quarterback room. He's spoken about enjoying his time there with both the Green Bay Packers and the New York Jets.

That experience might have helped him to develop into a player that serves almost as another coach, as head coach Robert Saleh described Rodgers to reporters Thursday.

"He's a coach that can still play football," Saleh said.

Saleh went on to describe Rodgers as "mindful," "thoughtful" and "observant" as a leader.

"He doesn't just want to be connected to his teammates or his position or his coach, he really wants to connect to everybody, and that includes the people upstairs in the business department, the chef, the equipment guys," Saleh said.

The outwardly positive relationship between Saleh and Rodgers is a change for the 10-time Pro Bowl quarterback, who at times publicly disagreed with Packers head coach Matt LaFleur's decisions in Green Bay. That discontent might have led to Rodgers' decision to skip Packers OTAs in 2021 and 2022.

Rodgers' outlook appears entirely different this offseason, during which he has attended almost all OTA sessions and established himself as a mentor for players like quarterback Zach Wilson.

Green Bay fans will hope the positive relationship between Saleh and Rodgers, as well as Rodgers' leadership toward the rest of the team, continues into Week 1 as the Packers look to return to the postseason in 2023.