Aaron Rodgers discussed football and his relationships—especially with coach Robert Saleh and former teammate Davante Adams—after the New York Jets arrived in London on Friday.
The four-time NFL MVP even used some local slang, saying “knackered” and “gobsmacked” during his 11-minute talk with reporters before Sunday’s game against the undefeated Minnesota Vikings at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Rodgers denied any issues with Saleh, stating, “there’s some driving force” outside the Jets’ facility trying to “put a wedge between Robert and I.”
After a 10-9 loss to Denver last week, pre-snap penalties led Saleh to question whether the team was ready to handle all the different signals Rodgers uses to confuse defenses. He later clarified that he was talking about the whole offense, not just Rodgers’ signals, and noted that the Jets would continue to use Rodgers’ successful cadence.
“Cadence has been a weapon,” Rodgers said from the team’s hotel north of London. “I think he kind of went in and got a chance Monday to kind of respond to all of that.”
The 40-year-old quarterback emphasized that he and Saleh have a strong friendship.
“We’re really good friends,” he said. “We enjoy each other. We spend time almost every day, I’m in his office talking about things, talking about the energy of the team, the focus of the team, what we need to get done, how I can help him out, how he can help me out.
“So we’ve got a great relationship.” Another topic this week has been Adams, who is frustrated and might be available for trade after asking the Las Vegas Raiders to deal him.
The Jets have been mentioned as a possible destination due to the connection between Adams and Rodgers, who played together in Green Bay for eight seasons.