“Tom Brady never missed mandatory minicamp”: Julian Edelman calls Aaron Rodgers’ unexcused absence ‘a bad look’
Aaron Rodgers' unexcused absence from mandatory minicamp has dominated headlines over the past week and a half.
While the New York Jets maintained their stance that they were kept in the loop, Rodgers' absence is still an unexcused one, which means he will be subject to fines for missing mandatory minicamp.
Several voices chimed in on the 'Where is Aaron Rodgers' story and this week, it was Julian Edelman's turn to lend his voice to that chorus.
Appearing on The Herd with Colin Cowherd on Friday, June 21, Edelman said:
“I know a lot of people do things differently. But god forbid the New York Jets start 1-3 in the beginning of the season – they start with the Niners, Tennessee, the Patriots [and the Broncos] – if they go 1-3, this is going to be such a big distraction for that locker room because everyone’s going to be talking about it."
Edelman noted that there's likely to be a few players in that locker room wondering where Aaron Rodgers is spending his time if not at minicamp, considering he played just four snaps last year.
“If they start 4-0, no one’s going to care. This is the NFL. It’s a bad look for your leader, for whatever reason, to go on an unexcused absence.
"I was with Tom Brady. In his later years, he started missing OTAs here and there but he never missed a mandatory minicamp. I just thought it was a bad look,” Edelman said.
How much will Aaron Rodgers be fined for missing Jets' mandatory minicamp?
Going by the revised Collective Bargaining Agreement, missing day one of mandatory minicamp carries a fine of $16,953, per Around the NFL's Kevin Patra. Missing two days doubles that amount to $33,908. A third absence means a fine of $50,855.
Considering the Jets' mandatory minicamp was on June 11-13, Rodgers is likely to be fined just over $50K for his unexcused absence.
This week, Jets owner Woody Johnson attempted to do some damage control in his star quarterback's mysterious absence. Johnson dropped some footage of Rodgers looking 'good as ever' this spring.
In Rodgers' absence, the Jets have been giving first-team reps to Tyrod Taylor, who took over the backup QB job from Zach Wilson.