Can Aaron Rodgers run for U.S. VP and play for Jets? Key questions ...

The current quarterback for the New York Jets is considered a finalist to be the vice presidential running mate for the nephew of John F. Kennedy.

That is a real sentence. A true statement. Seriously.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is considering Aaron Rodgers as his running mate. The lowdown: Kennedy is running as an independent in hopes of pushing Joe Biden and Donald Trump for the presidency. The New York Times reported Tuesday that he’s considering Rodgers and former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura as his potential running mate.

For a franchise that has had some weird and wacky things happen to it over the years, the idea that its current quarterback might become part of a presidential campaign while still an active NFL player might take the cake.

The Jets, through a PR spokesman, declined to comment Tuesday on the news.

So what does it all mean? Why is this happening?

Let’s break it down in Q&A form:

Is Kennedy seriously considering an active NFL quarterback with zero political experience to be his running mate?

According to The Times, Kennedy and his camp approached “at least a half-dozen people, with varying degrees of formality, to gauge their interest in serving as his running mate.” Almost all of them, per The Times, either turned him down or their conversations have not advanced. The two exceptions? Ventura and Rodgers. Kennedy also told The Times that he had been speaking with Rodgers “pretty continuously” for the past month about the position.

Why Rodgers?

That’s two-fold:

1. As The Times wrote, Rodgers (or Ventura) “could add star power and independent zeal to Kennedy’s outsider bid.” Rodgers has a significant social media following with 4.5 million followers on X (formerly Twitter) and 2.3 million on Instagram and is one of the most famous athletes in all of sports.

2. Rodgers has a longstanding close relationship with Kennedy and has been open about his support for the 70-year-old as a presidential candidate in various podcast appearances and other interviews, as well as on social media. They share similar views on a variety of topics — including opposition to the COVID-19 vaccine — and last month Kennedy posted a photo of them together on a hike in an undisclosed location as Rodgers finishes out his rehab from Achilles surgery.

Hiking with @AaronRodgers12 and his amazing Achilles ⛰️ pic.twitter.com/zBbJWUdOS7

— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) February 21, 2024

What does this mean for the Jets?

This is the big question on the football side of things. The Jets do have experience in this arena: Owner Woody Johnson left the organization to be part of Trump’s cabinet as the ambassador to the United Kingdom from 2016 to 2020.

This would be different, of course, since Rodgers is — again — an active NFL player.

There are a few different ways to look at this and how it would impact the Jets as they prepare for the 2024 season. It’s unclear if general manager Joe Douglas has been operating knowing about the possibility of Rodgers joining Kennedy’s campaign and the potential fallout.

But let’s start with the timeline.

When will we know if Rodgers is running?

Per The Times, Kennedy is expected to name his running mate in the coming weeks ahead of deadlines in states that require him to have a vice-presidential pick to petition for ballot access. The Jets don’t have anything in the next few weeks that would require Rodgers’ attendance, especially since he’s rehabbing his Achilles away from New Jersey.

Organized Team Activities (OTAs) typically don’t begin until May, and those aren’t mandatory anyway. Really, Rodgers isn’t technically required to be in Florham Park again until training camp in late July.

Ohhhh, Aaron bouta become the VP.. That’s why he ain’t been answering my text messages????

— SAUCE GARDNER (@iamSauceGardner) March 13, 2024

Let’s say Kennedy picks Rodgers. Then what?

Then Rodgers would presumably join the campaign in full. Right now, Kennedy is trying to collect the necessary signatures to qualify to appear on more state ballots. Per Axios, he has qualified to appear on Utah’s presidential ballot and is poised to soon qualify for the ballots in six more states.

It’s unclear if Rodgers would participate in the process of trying to gain ballot eligibility. But, presumably, he would join Kennedy on the campaign trail for at least the better part of the offseason, and possibly longer.

Does the Kennedy-Rodgers ticket have any shot to win?

History says no. Only eight third-party and independent candidates have garnered even 10 percent of the vote, in 1992 (Ross Perot), 1968 (George Wallace), 1924 (Robert M. La Follette) and 1912 (Theodore Roosevelt). The rest were all before 1900.

In the latest polling data from Fox News, Kennedy garnered 13 percent of the vote when subjects were asked how they would vote if the election were today. That was far behind Trump (41 percent) and Biden (38 percent).

So, in short, the answer is no.

But don’t tell that to Rodgers, who never counts himself out.

“I think what I’d like to say is, give me the doubts,” Rodgers said in September about the recovery timetable for his Achilles injury. “Give me the timetables. Give me all the things that you think can, should or will happen, because all I need is that one little extra percent of inspiration. That’s all I need.

“Give me your doubts, give me your prognostications, and then watch what I do.”

Yes, this was about recovering from an injury, but still — Rodgers welcomes doubt. And controversy, for that matter.

Would Rodgers leave the team while campaigning?

This is the question on everyone’s mind without a clear answer until Rodgers actually addresses it — which he won’t have to if Kennedy doesn’t ultimately select him as the running mate.

Training camp begins in July and runs through the end of August. The regular season begins in September. That is prime campaigning season for presidential candidates. It would be difficult for Rodgers to attend practice every day (or even most days) while also hitting the campaign trail. Once the season starts, there are more off days built in — the team typically watches film Monday, takes Tuesday off and runs walkthrough (or travels) on Saturday before a Sunday game. That would still be challenging to work around if Rodgers were a full-time player.

Interestingly, the first vice presidential debate is Sept. 25 at Lafayette College in Easton, Pa., which is about an hour’s drive from Florham Park.

The election itself is Nov. 5, right in the thick of the NFL season.

So if Rodgers left the team — temporarily or otherwise — how would the Jets handle it?

Perhaps there would be grounds for the Jets to get out of some of the money they owe Rodgers, though it’s unlikely he would go through with anything without consulting them first if his intention is to play in 2024. Rodgers carries a $17.1 million cap hit in 2024 and $23.5 million in 2025.

Until Rodgers says otherwise, the expectation should be that he plans to play in 2024, especially as he tries to prove he hasn’t lost a step at 40-years-old coming off Achilles surgery.

But if Rodgers did hypothetically leave the team in the short term to campaign with Kennedy, the Jets would have to turn to a backup quarterback as their starter for the second straight season.

At least they’re better prepared now, after agreeing Monday night to sign veteran Tyrod Taylor to a two-year contract. The Jets still will look to trade Zach Wilson regardless of how this Rodgers situation plays out. And, ultimately, this might be much ado about nothing anyway.

GO DEEPER

Tyrod Taylor joins Jets as backup QB

Whether Rodgers does or doesn’t spend time away from the team, it would behoove the Jets to add another quarterback — ideally a developmental one at some point in the NFL Draft. Not only should the Jets be looking to protect themselves in case their quarterback … runs for vice president. They also should be planning for the future (Rodgers turns 41 in December) and consider Taylor’s injury history, which has been an issue throughout his career.

Rodgers might also want to consider how his teammates might feel if he bails on them at the start of the season to pursue the vice presidency — especially after his end-of-season quote that caught a lot of attention in January:

“Anything in this building that we’re doing that has nothing to do with winning needs to be assessed. Everything that we do has to have a purpose,” Rodgers said. “The bull—- that has nothing to do with winning has to get out of the building.”

(Top photo: Elsa / Getty Images)