Tuesday was a day off for New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and most weeks that means an appearance on ESPN’s Pat McAfee Show.
It’s usually a free-flowing conversation between the ESPN personality and the 41-year-old quarterback. Sure, they talk football each week. But, sometimes the conversation turns to, well, fast food?
At one point during their weekly chat, McAfee asked Rodgers if he had been over to Davante Adams’ house and had any Taco Bell this season.
Adams has a sponsorship with Taco Bell and appears in regular commercials. The inside joke in the commercials is that Adams has a Taco Bell in his home.
Hence the nature of McAfee’s question.
The answer? Well, as Rodgers said to McAfee, Adams seems to have significant sway with the good folks at Taco Bell.
Shahtaht @tae15adams 👏 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/1YDFjBCb5G
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 10, 2024
“I’ll tell you what — I didn’t know the kind of power that he had with Taco Bell, and I don’t think I’m speaking out of line here,” Rodgers said. “But I believe somebody went to him on our team and said, ‘Hey, why don’t they have some menu item anymore?’ Sure enough — and I don’t remember what it was — but I swear, like the week later that item was back on the menu IN Jersey.”
If Taco Bell could only solve the Jets’ myriad of problems right now.
Rodgers is coming off his best individual performance this season, his first 300-yard passing game in three seasons. But, the Jets (3-10) fell to the Miami Dolphins, 32-26, in overtime. With With top running back Breece Hall out with an injury, the Jets had to lean hard on Rodgers on Sunday. He threw for 339 yards on 27-of-39 passing with a touchdown.
Rodgers has thrown for 2,966 yards with 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions this season. His stated goal is to play in all 17 games, a goal he set after he tore his Achilles last season.
As it turns out, Rodgers has been dealing with a number of injuries this season, too.
As reported by Fox’s Jay Glazer on Sunday, Rodgers has at various times had a grade two hamstring strain — which is at minimum a partial tear — along with an MCL sprain in his knee and a high ankle sprain.
His ability to play through those injuries is, in part, what has ingratiated him to his Jets teammates, even though the success on the field hasn’t been what anyone had anticipated with his return.