Former Jets coach Eric Mangini makes shock accusation against Aaron Rodgers
As a season of humiliation approaches for the New York Jets, a former coach of the team believes the team’s most notable name tried to lay the groundwork for his departure.
After recovering from a torn Achilles tendon, suffering just four breaks in his debut for the team, quarterback Aaron Rodgers has drastically failed to live up to expectations for Gang Green as the Jets are currently 4-11 and have been for a long time eliminated from the play-offs.
As speculation continues to swirl about Rodgers’ future, one former coach of the team believes he already has one foot out the door.
Eric Mangini – who managed the Jets from 2006-2008 – thinks Rodgers “did everything he could to get cut” by team owner Woody Johnson.
“The fact that Aaron brought up the comment ‘I’ve never been cut by a teenager, I’ve never been set free by a teenager’ is a direct shot at the owner,” Mangini said during an appearance on ‘The Herd’ – referring to comments Rodgers made on “The Pat McAfee Show.”
Mangini continued: ‘That legitimizes everything that is said in the organization. That’s making fun of how dysfunctional it is.
A former Jets head coach believes Aaron Rodgers is trying to be removed from the team
Eric Mangini (seen here with San Francisco) called Rodgers’ recent statements “direct shots” at owner Woody Johnson and they “legitimize everything said in the organization”
Rodgers was sad this season as the Jets once again failed to live up to expectations
“So for me, as soon as he said that, in his mind he said he wanted out. But of course he doesn’t want to retire. He wants to get paid and not have to deal with the setbacks that come with retirement.”
Mangini’s characterization of the Jets as “dysfunctional” may be putting it lightly.
The team has already fired its head coach (Robert Saleh) and general manager (Joe Douglas) after the Jets bitterly disappointed their long-suffering fans.
In a season where the Jets were expected to challenge for the AFC East title, New York was woeful offensively; it was one of only four teams not to score at least 30 points in a single game this season.
Rodgers deserves a lot of the blame. Despite the team trading for Davante Adams — the wide receiver Rodgers has the most history with in the NFL — Rodgers ranks 13th in total passing yards in the entire league.
His completion percentage of 62.8 is 27th in the NFL and his average passing yards per game is just 15th. Rodgers has surpassed 300 yards passing in a game just once this season: a 32-26 overtime loss to the Miami Dolphins.
Rodgers has also recorded 33 sacks, which ranks 12th in the league, tied with Deshaun Watson and rookie Drake Maye. The only positive stat he has is his touchdown-interception rating (24-8), which is in the top ten in the league.
There are only two games left in the Jets season: Sunday afternoon’s visit to Orchard Park to take on the already-crowned division champion Buffalo Bills, and next week’s final home game against the Miami Dolphins.