Is it OK to like Aaron Rodgers again?
The latest season of HBO's "Hard Knocks" debuted this week, and it already looks like a resounding success for the New York Jets and their new star quarterback.
This year marks the 20th season of "Hard Knocks" and offers a behind-the-scenes look at training camp for the New York Jets.
The popular New York-based Jets would be a perfect team for the reality sports docuseries in any season. However, this year was especially tasty after trading for the 39-year-old Rodgers this off-season after his 18 seasons with the Green Bay Packers.
The long-hapless Jets — often dubbed the lolJets in social-media circles — are often a trainwreck you can't look away from. Meanwhile, in recent years, Rodgers has gone from one of the most popular players in the NFL to its biggest villain, thanks to his ugly divorce from the Packers, his quirky lifestyle, controversial vaccine comments, and a personality that just seemed to grow more abrasive as he got older.
But then came his move to the Jets. And now, fans are getting a new look at Rodgers through the lens of HBO's cameras.
The most significant difference is that Rodgers appears to be invested in winning again in a way that was not obvious in recent years. In addition to restructuring his contract after the trade to give the Jets a better chance to sign good players, he has already made it clear that he is the team's leader, on and off the field. That was evident in several scenes on "Hard Knocks," including one where he coaches up a much younger Sauce Gardner by telling him he could be in the Hall of Fame someday.
Aaron Rodgers telling Sauce Gardner he’d be in the Hall of Fame one day hit different #Jets pic.twitter.com/TuboyzgzDh
— Matt O'Leary (@MattOLearyNY) August 9, 2023
There is also a fun and happy side to Rodgers coming out, unlike the cold shoulder he seemed to be giving in recent years. In one scene in the first episode, Rodgers and former starting quarterback Zach Wilson tease each other about the sizes of their biceps. There are also a myriad of handshakes he has with different teammates, including this one with Gardner.
Aaron Rodgers / Sauce Gardner handshake 🤝🚬pic.twitter.com/GlznZEfbsM
— TMSPN.com (@sportsgossip) August 9, 2023
Former NFL player and current ESPN analyst Booger McFarland noted on "Get Up!" that it was nice to see this new Rodgers.
"For so long, we have been talking about so many things that didn't matter when it came to football with Aaron Rodgers; it was just fun to see him smile [on 'Hard Knocks']," McFarland said. "If you're a Jets fan, you've got to be extremely excited because he looks to be in a good spot mentally."
And the turn in the perception of Rodgers has already shifted 180 degrees, as former NFL player and current ESPN analyst Domonique Foxworth noted after watching the show.
"I fell in love with the Jets team," Foxworth said on ESPN, adding later: "Aaron Rodgers seemed to be as cool as we used to think he was. He seems that way again … It just took an hour on 'Hard Knocks' for me to be like, 'I like that guy. I'm rooting for him. I hope it works out."
ESPN's NFL insider Kimberly Martin seemed to agree and was as shocked as everybody, writing on X, "Guys … Are Aaron Rodgers and the Jets kinda… lovable now?"
On ESPN, Martin later explained why this new Rodgers was good for the team's other QB, Wilson.
"Everything we wondered about Aaron, 'Would he be all-in? Does he care?' It seemed like a different Aaron than we saw in Green Bay," Martin said. "This is what Wilson needed: an adult in the room. He needed a QB to literally show him the ropes, and now I actually have confidence Zach Wilson can be the next guy because Aaron Rodgers is there."
If you thought it would just be more of the same for Rodgers under the even brighter lights of New York and their houndish media, guess again. The Aaron Redemption Tour is in full swing, and the Jets can thank "Hard Knocks."
