Aaron Rodgers having the most fun he's had 'in a while' with New York Jets

Aaron Rodgers’ last few seasons with the Green Bay Packers were interesting, to say the least. After the franchise drafted a quarterback in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Rodgers turned around and won two straight MVPs before a rough 2022 season.

Now, he’s a member of the New York Jets after a long-awaited trade this offseason. As he settles in with his new team, Rodgers made it abundantly clear he’s in a really good place. In fact, he’s happier than he’s been in some time.

“The last six weeks have been about the most fun I’ve had in a while,” Rodgers said, via USA TODAY’s Lorenzo Reyes. “It’s fun to come to work and be excited about what we’re doing.”

One of the biggest criticisms Rodgers received ahead of the 2022 season was his absence from offseason workouts. That came as the Packers added plenty of new faces, particularly at wide receiver with top target Davante Adams heading to the Las Vegas Raiders and Christian Watson coming in as the Packers’ top pick on offense in the 2022 NFL Draft. It took some time for Rodgers and Watson to develop chemistry, and now Rodgers is building relationships with an entirely new roster.

Unlike the last couple years in Green Bay, he’s taking part in OTAs with the Jets. Those relationships are budding, and he’s done a few different activities to help with that. One of those moments came when Taylor Swift performed at MetLife Stadium, and Rodgers — apparently a noted Swiftie — was in attendance.

“Yeah, I think it was good,” Rodgers said of being at OTAs. “I had originally planned on being back on the West Coast at least a week to be with my body work people and my trainers, but when I hurt my calf, it was best that I was here the entire time rehabbing and just being around the guys.

“It made for a lot of opportunities for some get-togethers in the city — obviously a Taylor Swift concert — team dinners, a lot of hangout time, so that was good. But the on-the-field stuff was really important to work through some of the adjustments and signals, being another voice in the room with Hack in the installs and QB room. It was a lot of fun, actually.”

With OTAs in the books, the Jets will start mandatory minicamp next week as the offseason program starts to wrap up. They will start training camp next month, and Rodgers will play his first game in a Jets uniform Sept. 11 against the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football.