Aaron Rodgers has spent the last week getting to know his new New York Jets teammates on and off the field, and his presence has left some of the younger roster members in awe.
The 39-year-old left Green Bay after nearly two decades of service in search of a new challenge and he decided to join the Jets, who haven't won a Super Bowl since the late 60s. Rodgers hopes to help the Jets break their 55 years of hurt once the Super Bowl is up for grabs early next year and will work hard with offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett to make it possible.
Since arriving in the big city, Rodgers has put himself about, throwing during practice while also attending New York Knicks NBA Play-Off games alongside new teammates.
And some of the Jets' younger members of the roster haven't been shy to admit that Rodgers' star power has left them rather flustered. "I ain't gonna lie to you: I was starstruck a little bit," Linebacker Quincy Williams, 26, said.
"I was like, 'Hold on, Coach, let me just take a little minute to just take this in,' just to watch a few throws and seeing him in the green."
Wide receiver Garrett Wilson, 22, says playing with four-time NFL MVP Rodgers will be a story he tells to his kids. He said: "This is something 20 years from now, 30 years from now, I'll tell my kids: 'I played with Aaron Rodgers.'"
Wilson has also attributed the rise in Jets standards to Rodgers' arrival in New Jersey. "We expect to compete with everyone in the league, beat everyone in the league, be one of the better teams in the league," said Wilson, the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
"We expect to do that. I'd be lying if I said we have someone of Aaron Rodgers' pedigree and the expectation doesn't go up a little bit. We know what comes with it. We know, all of a sudden, eyes are on us, and we have to back it up every time we take the field, practice, or game. We're excited to prove that every week. With what we know we have, we're excited to prove that to the world every week."
While Cornerback Sauce Gardner, 22, NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year was lucky enough to sit courtside at Madison Square Garden for Game Two of the Knicks-Miami Heat second-round series. "Everybody knew who he was," said Gardner. "I was able to be in his shadow a little bit. It was a great feeling."
The pair brushed shoulders with some of TV and film's biggest stars: Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, and Tracy Morgan just to name a few. However, Rodgers teased Gardner when he admitted that he didn't know who Jessica Alba was when the actress was pointed out to him.
"He was picking on me for being young," Gardner said of Rodgers, who is 17 years his senior. "We were getting seated, and he was like, 'We're about to sit by Jessica Alba.' I was like, 'Oh, I don't know who that is.' He looked at me like I'm crazy."
Rodgers' on-field aura also caught Gardner's eye. "I always catch myself watching him, watching how smooth he looks and how it makes it look effortless," Gardner said.
