Current:Home > reviewsNo, Aaron Rodgers and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., shrooms and Hail Marys do not a VP pick make -Keystone Wealth Vision
No, Aaron Rodgers and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., shrooms and Hail Marys do not a VP pick make
View
Date:2025-04-15 21:42:04
It is a good thing no one expects Hall of Fame busts to be true representations of the people they’re depicting. Otherwise, Canton would have to build an entire new wing to accommodate the size of Aaron Rodgers’ head someday.
Any last doubt Rodgers is all about Rodgers and no one else was put to rest Tuesday, when Robert F. Kennedy Jr. confirmed he is considering the New York Jets quarterback to be his running mate. In fact, Kennedy told the New York Times, he and Rodgers have been speaking “pretty continuously” for the past month.
I’m sure the conversations were fascinating. Does Rodgers think his ability to pick up the blitz makes him qualified to advise Kennedy on military strategy? Does he believe his success in getting washed-up teammates sweetheart deals with the Jets makes him an expert negotiator who can get a budget through Congress? Does he think experimenting with magic mushrooms has prepared him to oversee the Food and Drug Administration?
Or, let me guess, he and Kennedy think right-wing Christians will hear about Rodgers’ penchant for throwing Hail Marys and see him as one of their own.
Give me a break.
Believing an NFL quarterback who styles himself as one of the great thinkers of his generation while spinning the greatest hits of conspiracy theories — COVID vaccine denier? Jeffrey Epstein? 9/11 truther? Check, check and check again — is a suitable VP ought to tell everyone how wholly unserious Kennedy’s campaign actually is. Vice President Rodgers would make Tommy Tuberville look like an esteemed statesman rather than the fool he’s proven himself time and again to be.
But the larger revelation is how little Rodgers cares about the Jets. Or anyone, really, besides himself.
This, remember, is the same guy who said distractions — ahem — played a role in the Jets’ debacle of a season last year and said that, going forward, “the (expletive) that has nothing to do with winning has to get out of the building."
When somebody figures out what being on a presidential ticket has to do with winning, please let me know. Maybe tell Woody Johnson and Robert Saleh, too.
2024 NFL FREE AGENCY:Tracker for Tuesday buzz, notable moves with big names still unclaimed
Let’s pretend, just for funsies, that this isn’t a charade designed to remind people RFK is still in the race and bump Russell Wilson and Kirk Cousins out of the headlines. That Kennedy and Rodgers are serious about this. How exactly would this work?
The NFL is a full-time job and then some, as is being part of a presidential campaign. Trying to do both, especially when the height of the campaign overlaps with the NFL season, would mean Rodgers would be short-changing the Jets and RFK, his mind on both and his full focus on neither. Is he not going to practice or is he not going to campaign? Is he going to miss this game or skip this appearance?
The Jets practice facility and MetLife Stadium would be crawling with the extra security required for Rodgers, to say nothing of the throng of reporters that travels with every campaign. Those folks aren’t fanbois like Pat McAfee, either, which means they’d actually be fact-checking Rodgers on his nonsense. And since Rodgers isn’t nearly as smart as he thinks he is, that would mean a Distraction of the Day from now until Nov. 5, with the Jets front office, Saleh and his teammates caught up in the crossfire.
The circus that surrounded the “miracle comeback” from a torn Achilles will seem quaint by comparison.
Unless … Rodgers plans to sit out the season if Kennedy taps him as his running mate. Which would leave the Jets in ruins.
Again.
OPINION:Aaron Rodgers' recovery story proves he's as good a self-promoter as he is a QB
Rodgers knows full well the Jets have built their entire team with the four-time MVP in mind, accommodating his every whim even when it isn’t necessarily the best thing for the team. Nathaniel Hackett, Allen Lazard, Tim Boyle — shall I continue? Rodgers also knows what happens if he’s not available, having watched that dumpster fire after he got hurt four plays into the season opener last year.
It doesn't go unnoticed that this news broke after the best free-agent QBs were off the market. Wilson (Pittsburgh Steelers) and Cousins (Atlanta Falcons) went to new teams and Baker Mayfield got a new deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Jets? They got Tyrod Taylor.
If Rodgers isn't going to play, the Jets can kiss yet another season goodbye and Saleh can start updating his resume. Even if he does, being willing to entertain the cockamamie idea of being RFK's VP has to make the Jets wonder about his level of commitment.
Rodgers isn’t VP material. That he’s allowing himself to be included in this conversation confirms he’s not a team player, either. Rodgers is all about Aaron Rodgers.
How’s that for a campaign slogan?
Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.
veryGood! (232)
Related
- US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
- Israeli army kills 16-year-old Palestinian in West Bank, claiming youths threw explosives
- Paris strips Palestinian leader Abbas of special honor for remarks on Holocaust
- Judge denies Mark Meadows' bid to remove his Georgia election case to federal court
- Taylor Swift Eras Archive site launches on singer's 35th birthday. What is it?
- Powerful earthquake strikes Morocco, causing shaking in much of the country
- Trump Organization offloads Bronx golf course to casino company with New York City aspirations
- Derek Jeter returns, Yankees honor 1998 team at Old-Timers' Day
- Arkansas State Police probe death of woman found after officer
- Tribal nations face less accurate, more limited 2020 census data because of privacy methods
Ranking
- Meet the volunteers risking their lives to deliver Christmas gifts to children in Haiti
- Separatist parliament in Azerbaijan’s breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region elects new president
- Red Velvet Oreos returning to shelves for a limited time. Here's when to get them.
- Situation Room in White House gets $50 million gut renovation. Here's how it turned out.
- The company planning a successor to Concorde makes its first supersonic test
- Residents and authorities in Somalia say airstrike caused several casualties including children
- Apple set to roll out the iPhone 15. Here's what to expect.
- What's causing massive seabird die-offs? Warming oceans part of ecosystem challenges
Recommendation
Bodycam footage shows high
No, a pound of muscle does not weigh more than a pound of fat. But here's why it appears to.
UN atomic watchdog warns of threat to nuclear safety as fighting spikes near plant in Ukraine
Hundreds of Pride activists march in Serbia despite hate messages sent by far-right officials
Why Sean "Diddy" Combs Is Being Given a Laptop in Jail Amid Witness Intimidation Fears
Novak Djokovic steals Ben Shelton's phone celebration after defeating 20-year-old at US Open
How to watch NFL RedZone: Stream providers, start time, cost, host, more
Team USA loses to Germany 113-111 in FIBA World Cup semifinals