Aaron Rodgers is back at work with his New York Jets teammates after skipping mandatory camp while on a trip to Egypt. And though the four-time NFL MVP was fined by the team for his absence, he said Wednesday there are no lingering issues with coach Robert Saleh or his teammates.
Speaking at the first day of practice at Jets training camp, Rodgers also said he had no regrets about his decision and that he ‘knew the consequences.’
‘I’m an adult,’ Rodgers said. ‘I knew what I was getting into. I knew the fine that was coming. Also knew how much I wanted to be in Egypt. I wish there hadn’t been a conflict scheduling-wise, but it was what it was.’
Rodgers said the idea for the trip began in ‘the doldrums’ of rehab on his torn Achilles, which the quarterback suffered just four plays into his first game and cost him his inaugural season with the team. But the time frame he selected conflicted with the Jets’ mandatory minicamp from June 11-13.
‘Once I saw the schedule, I was trying to move some things around,’ Rodgers said. ‘(It) just didn’t happen.’
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Rodgers reiterated his stance that the minicamp, which is the final team event prior to the break leading into training camp, is not meaningfully different from the rest of the organized team activities. Per the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement, however, OTAs are voluntary, whereas missing mandatory minicamp subjects a player to fines.
‘They happen to be labeled as minicamp, as not the same as it was in 2005 or 2010,’ Rodgers said. ‘The schedule is an OTA day. It’s labeled as minicamp so you can try to get anybody who hasn’t been around to be there.’
Rodgers confirmed he had been fined for what the team considered an unexcused absence. Asked if the fine was for $50,000, he smiled and said, ‘I think it was for a little more than that.’
Saleh was quick to praise Rodgers upon the signal-caller’s return.
‘He’s an unbelievable teammate,’ Saleh said. ‘His wealth of knowledge and his understanding of football makes him pretty much another coach on the football field. So when he speaks, our guys listen.’