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A former NFL quarterback has joined the chorus of athletes and analysts decreeing that Aaron Rodgers is one of the most selfish athletes of his generation.
Shaun King, who spent eight seasons with the Tampa Bay Bucs, Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, and Indianapolis Colts, was recently interviewed by Go Long and was asked about Aaron Rodgers, specifically, his decision to bail on the New York Jets’ mandatory minicamp earlier this month.
King teed off on Rodgers, calling him one of the most selfish and self-centered quarterbacks of his generation, which is a sentiment that’s been echoed by various media members and former players in recent weeks.
While King admitted that Rodgers is one of the most talented throwers of a football ever to live, he ripped into the 40-year-old conspiracy theorist for hanging his teammates and coaches out to dry.
“Aaron Rodgers is one of the most talented throwers of the football we’ve ever seen. You can’t argue with that on any level. He’s just brilliant when it comes to throwing the ball. In my opinion, he’s become the one of the most selfish and self-centered quarterbacks of my generation,” King said.
“Robert Saleh is obviously on the hot seat. Obviously. What more could you do to undermine the soft footing that he’s already on than to miss the mandatory minicamp? That schedule has been out since the Jets finished their season last year. Guys got emailed that schedule right after the last game. So it’s not like he hasn’t known when mandatory minicamp is.”
The crux of King’s argument seems to be the extent to which Rodgers chooses himself over the organization, highlighted by his minicamp absence.
“I can understand, ‘I got something to do. OTA’s week two, I’m going to have to miss three of the OTAs. I’ll be there for the fourth day, or I got to come, then I got to leave,'” King said.
“But being so selfish that you can’t reschedule that other thing to be at mandatory minicamp where there’s going to be a lot of media in New York, and you know you’re going to put your head coach, your organization in a difficult spot because now they got to answer questions about why you aren’t here.”
King’s points weren’t just about optics, however, as he also noted that the Jets offense needs reps to become a cohesive and effective unit, particularly players like newly-signed and oft-injured wide receiver Mike Williams.
“You don’t think Mike Williams needs those reps with you coming over from the Chargers? All of the stuff you like to do at the line of scrimmage from a signal standpoint, you don’t think these guys need those reps? It was selfish of him. He has known when this date was.”
King certainly isn’t alone in his assessment of Rodgers, as the likes of Julain Edelman, Colin Cowherd, Nick Wright, and even CJ Stroud have also been critical of Rodgers in recent months.