Aaron Rodgers Injury Scare Prompts Robert Saleh to Remind Jets to Avoid Hits on QB

New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh had to remind his players to keep their distance from the quarterback after one defender got a little too close to comfort with Aaron Rodgers.

"We do it all the time," Saleh said, per Ethan Greenberg of the Jets' official site. "Stay off the quarterback. Respect the quarterback. Every player knows how important those quarterbacks are, but stay up, stay off them. It goes without saying, but you're always going to try to make it a point of emphasis."

Greenberg wrote that linebacker Jermaine Johnson II inadvertently stepped on Rodgers' toe during a non-padded workout. The veteran signal-caller took a few reps off but avoided any injury.

Quarterbacks wear red jerseys for a reason, and ones with Rodgers' résumé have earned additional luxuries.

If he weren't entering his first season with the team, the Jets probably wouldn't mind all that much if he did the minimal amount of work required during the offseason.

That was Rodgers' approach toward the end of his run with the Green Bay Packers, which he defended in an interview with The Athletic's Matt Schneidman after Schneidman reported the team wasn't "satisfied with Rodgers' commitment and effort, not only during voluntary OTAs but on a day-to-day basis afterward."

"When I'm in, I'm all-in, and you wanna ride with offseason workouts?" Rodgers said. "I won MVP without doing offseason workouts. Like, was my commitment any less then? I'd say not at all. The way that I come back to work, not just physically in good shape but mentally refreshed, is the best thing for me to have the season I wanted to have during those in Green Bay."

The 39-year-old needed to be a little more involved with his new team, though, something he has done so far. The downside is that the risk of a fluke injury like what could've happened Saturday increases a bit more.

Perhaps the scare leaves Saleh and his staff even less inclined to put Rodgers on the field during the preseason.