Aaron Rodgers was the 54th man on the roster list, after his injury recovery phase. However, as per rules, an NFL team can only allow a 53-man roster, which meant either Rodgers had to wait for some more time in the future, or any other player would have to lose his spot. The New York Jets went with the second option, and it came at the cost of Jets Full Back, Nick Bawden.

Since then, A-Rod has been facing criticism from many on social media for taking a roster spot for Bawden, even though the four-time MVP will not be playing this season. But this story has a twist, as Rodgers isn’t the right person to blame for Bawden’s ‘unemployment.’ Rodgers, who still took all the heat on him, appeared in the Pat McAfee show to reveal what went down on the Jets’ field.

Aaron Rodgers sorts things out with Nick Bawden

Aaron Rodgers indeed wanted to play. However, this wish was not at the cost of somebody’s position. In a recent episode of ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ on Tuesday, Rodgers appeared to disclose why he was activated off the injured reserve list, and what conversation happened between him and the team.

Rodgers revealed that he requested to be placed back on injured reserve. But, the Jets officials disagreed and ‘overruled’ his request. Since Aaron Rodgers addition to the roster meant the release of Nick Bawden, the QB felt the need to personally contact the 27-year-old. The star QB said, “The story is simple.”

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“We lost the previous week and I was again targeting the 24th to come back, so I assumed I was going to go on IR. I asked to be put on IR because I didn’t wanna practice at the expense of somebody getting cut.” He then informed that he obviously got ‘overruled’ there. Rodgers mentioned that he promptly called the fullbacker to inform him that he had tried to preserve the roster spot for him.

And that the decision didn’t originate from him. To this, as informed by Rodgers, Bawden said, “I’m getting my money. I am fine. Don’t worry about me.” From the looks of it though, it appears that the thought behind having Rodgers play for a game or two was to set the stage for the 2024 season as Jets have been struggling this season. As pointed by many experts, the idea was to let Rodgers play, even briefly.

Read more: Watch: Injured Aaron Rodgers Reveals Honest Thoughts on Robert Salah Amid Firing Reports

This could serve as a starting point for the next season when he’s expected to be fully healthy, and also have an ‘impact’ on the team, given the status of the player. Consequently, this conversation about Aaron Rodgers reaching out to Nick Bawden has led to the latter commenting on the same.

Nick Bawden appreciates Rodgers’ gesture

Nick Bawden, in a recent interview, expressed gratitude for Aaron Rodgers for reaching out to him. Rodgers informed Bawden that he is likely to be back on the active roster next week against the Cleveland Browns. Bawden appreciated Rodgers’ honesty and openness about the situation, and revealed that A-Rod FaceTimed him to show his genuinety over the call.

Bawden also emphasized that any perception of Rodgers being selfish is far from the truth. The entire situation is being handled in the best way possible. He reiterated, “It’s really unfortunate that people have taken that as a selfish act.’’ According to ESPN NFL reporter Rich Cimini, the details regarding Bawden’s situation are clarified.

Bawden, who is cut to make room for Rodgers, will be added to the practise squad and then elevated if he’s healthy. He mentioned that as a vested veteran, Bawden’s 2023 salary becomes guaranteed in Week 1. This has eased out the matters even more and probably has shifted the blame away from the 4x NFL MVP.

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