Aaron Rodgers says he spurned VP offer from RFK Jr. for Jets return

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To hear Aaron Rodgers tell it, he turned down a chance to be the nation’s VP to take another run at NFL MVP.

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The New York Jets quarterback, who reportedly shined at a team training session Tuesday, offered comments afterward that were the closest yet to confirming he was offered an opportunity to be the running mate on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s independent presidential ticket.

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“I love Bobby,” Rodgers told reporters at the Jets’ facility after being asked how serious discussions got with him and Kennedy. “We had a couple of really nice conversations, but there were really two options: It was retire and be his VP or keep playing – and I want to keep playing.”

Kennedy was reported in March to have spoken with Rodgers, who has shared many of the candidate’s anti-vaccine views and other forms of skepticism about the federal government, about possibly running with him. At the time, other notable figures reported to be under consideration by Kennedy included former Hawaii congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura and motivational speaker Tony Robbins. Shortly thereafter, Kennedy announced that he would be running with Nicole Shanahan, a wealthy Bay Area lawyer with strong ties to the tech industry.

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Rodgers had revealed last week that Kennedy asked him to consider the possibility of being the vice-presidential candidate. In an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, the 40-year-old quarterback began those comments by noting that former president Donald Trump “speaks the rhetoric of taking back, making America great again.”

“My thing is, he had four years to do it and didn’t drain the swamp,” Rodgers said of Trump, who is again the Republican nominee. “And whether he just got scared because of what he learned when he was in there – I think it’s very plausible – that’s why I was interested when Bobby came to me and said, ‘Would you think about being my running mate?’

“I said: ‘Are you serious? I’m a [expletive] football player.’ But I love this country,” Rodgers continued, “and I’d love to be a part of bringing it back to what she used to be. I thought about it. I definitely thought about it because I love Bobby, and I just wanted to hear what he had to say about it.”

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Having decided not to quit his day job, as it were, Rodgers was back at it during the Jets’ initial run of organized team activities. As a four-time MVP and one-time Super Bowl winner, he would have attracted plenty of attention under any circumstances, but there is all the more scrutiny this year after last season’s disastrous turn. Then, in his first year with New York following a lengthy run with the Green Bay Packers, Rodgers suffered a season-ending torn Achilles’ tendon just four plays into his Jets tenure.

A team with championship hopes suddenly lost its offensive fulcrum and ended the season with a 7-10 record and a 13-year postseason drought that is tied for the longest across the major domestic sports leagues.

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On Tuesday, Rodgers helped fuel renewed hopes by appearing recovered from his injury while displaying some of his trademark passing accuracy.

“It’s amazing. He’s found some source of the fountain of youth,” Jets defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said. “He’s got something figured out.”

“The strength is good, the movement’s good. … Now I feel like I can do anything,” Rodgers told reporters at a post-practice news conference. “I can run at top speed. … There’s no pads on, but I can obviously still throw with the best of them.”

While rehabilitating this spring, Rodgers served as a guest on several podcasts in which he expounded upon various conspiracy theories. On multiple occasions, including via his account on X, Rodgers denied a CNN report that he had years earlier claimed the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting was staged by the government.

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In the context of his podcast appearances and link to Kennedy, Rodgers was asked Tuesday about comments he made after the Jets’ 2023 season ended poorly. In January, Rodgers had said: “Anything in this building that we’re doing that has nothing to do with winning needs to be assessed. … The [B.S.] that has nothing to do with winning has to get out of the building.”

Rodgers began his response by emphasizing the “in this building” part of what he had said. He then told reporters: “Those were offseason things, and those were real opportunities. Most of those podcasts were with friends of mine, and the Bobby thing was a real thing.

“How it got out there, I don’t know – it wasn’t from me. Once the season starts, it’s all about football.”

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