Aaron Rodgers shoehorns vaccination status into Nick Bawden controversy: “They have their puppet masters puppeteering them”

If Aaron Rodgers can somehow work in his vaccine takes into conversations, he often does.

Whether it's as part of his appearances on talk shows or elsewhere, the conversation topic routinely comes up even when it's unexpected.

This time, he brought it up with regards to his injury status and attempted comeback from a torn Achilles. On the Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers said about why he ended up on the Injured Reserve:

"I asked to be put on IR because I didn't wanna practice at the expense of somebody getting cut. I didn't feel like I needed to practice to continue my rehab, I could do on-the-field stuff on the side, but obviously, I got overruled there."

He believes that the criticism he's received for his attempted journey back from the Achilles tear in one season, a journey that eventually was in vain, as he won't play again this season, largely stems from people's opinions on his vaccine status. The team had to cut a player to make room for him despite his inability to play:

"Let's make people say their vax status to start, then they'll frame all these comments in the right window... then at least you know, and everybody could know at that point that they have their puppet masters who are puppeteering them to say this certain thing about this guy and that they're still upset about the fact that I believe in medical freedom."

Rodgers infamously misled the media about his vaccine status during the COVID-19 season, saying that he was "immunized" when he hadn't gotten the COVID vaccine.

Now, he believes that everyone who's calling him out is likely vaccinated and is on the opposite side of his stance.

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Aaron Rodgers' misguided attempt at returning

Aaron Rodgers won't return this season.

In almost every single scenario, a torn Achilles means the end of a player's season. Even though it happened in Week 1, the New York Jets were facing a full season of no Aaron Rodgers.

He resolved to defy that logic and return and set about to do so. He ended up returning to practice and being activated from the Injured Reserve (which forced the team to cut Nick Bawden) even though he's not actually going to play.

It was a valiant effort, but he might have been better off just rehabbing the entire season and letting his team go on without him while he rested for 2024, letting Zach Wilson or Tim Boyle hold the reins for one year.