New coach Aaron Glenn aced his first big test as the leader of the Jets.
He made a quick, mostly clean break from former quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
OK, it wasn’t a drama-free break. Nothing is drama-free with Rodgers. And a few months after the Jets decided to cut Rodgers, the future Hall of Fame quarterback called out Glenn for disrespecting him.
He complained that Glenn made him fly, on his own dime, cross country only to be abruptly notified a few minutes into a meeting that the Jets were moving on. He accused Glenn of behaving weirdly in the meeting and that he was offended when the new Jets coach said he believed Rodgers would try to undermine him as a leader.
Glenn and the Jets handled those accusations deftly, by refusing to acknowledge them at all. Not only did it take the fire out of Rodgers’ comments, it made the former Jets quarterback look petty and desperate.
But Thursday brought news that Glenn and the Jets haven’t seen the last of Rodgers, who finally agreed to sign with the Steelers according to multiple reports.
And that means the next time Rodgers steps on the field for a football game that counts, he’ll be facing Glenn and the Jets, Week 1 at MetLife Stadium.
And that Rodgers drama bomb won’t be as easy to diffuse as the last one. Glenn is going to be asked about Rodgers countless times between now and Week 1, starting next week at mandatory minicamp.
He’ll be asked about it when the Jets return to Florham Park next month for the start of training camp. He’ll be asked about as the Jets get ready to play the Steelers in September.
Glenn has made it clear that he’s not a fan of the inordinate amount of questions he gets about his own quarterback, so not getting annoyed is going to be a challenge for him.
Of course, between now and then Rodgers will do everything he can to make sure Glenn is getting asked about him.
And then once the game begins, he’ll have the challenge that really matters: stopping a legendary quarterback who is out for revenge.
It’s going to be fascinating on several levels. And in the end it could be the perfect start to the Glenn era in New Jersey. If former Steelers quarterback Justin Fields outplays Rodgers and beats his former team it could be a launching pad onto bigger and better things for the Jets as they turn the page.
But the Jets better be ready for the best version of Rodgers, even at age 41 after he showed some signs of life late last season. Because if Rodgers turns Glenn’s first game as a head coach into his personal playground of revenge, there will be no way to ignore how much it stings.
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Andy Vasquez may be reached atavasquez@njadvancemedia.com.