Aaron Rodgers may not have been brushing aside Nathaniel Hackett on the sideline during “Monday Night Football” after all.
A clip of the pair during the first quarter against the 49ers appeared to show Rodgers ignoring Hackett, leading football fans on social media to wonder if there was a disconnect between the Jets quarterback and his offensive coordinator.
Rodgers cleared the air Tuesday on “The Pat McAfee Show,” claiming that wasn’t the case at all.
“I mean, it’s appearance versus reality. I don’t know, you can make up whatever you think it is based on the appearance,” Rodgers said. “As I’m looking at that , it looks like I’m talking to [backup quarterback] Tyrod [Taylor], who’s sitting on my left, and then one of the Surfaces [tablets] in my lap. And I’m talking to Tyrod, and I’m coming back to the Surface, as this is normal, like in sideline stuff, there’s conversation coming at you from all different angles.”
The Jets’ offense struggled for most of the night, scoring just twice outside of garbage time during the 32-19 loss.
Despite the disappointing opener, Rodgers was steadfast about Hackett, who was also with him in Green Bay from 2019-21, being the offensive architect for the Jets.
“… Hack and I, we’re great. I felt like we had a good plan going in. We just didn’t execute it very well. But yeah, I felt like the calls came in good. Communication was good. Communication on the sideline was good. So, yeah, everything is great.”
Rodgers showed flashes of brilliance in Santa Clara in his first full game in a Jets uniform.
He orchestrated a 12-play touchdown drive in the first half, completing seven of eight passes for 64 yards en route to the score.
Late in the third quarter, Rodgers took advantage of a free play, throwing a 36-yard touchdown pass to Allen Lazard.
Rodgers finished 13-of-21 for 167 yards with a touchdown and interception.
