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“Wasn’t on Television”: Almost 6 Decades After Becoming New York’s Best Decision, Joe Namath Opens Up on Aaron Rodgers and Draft Day Jitters From 1965

Published 04/28/2023, 10:41 AM EDT

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USA Today via Reuters

The first day of the 2023 NFL Draft has been packed with a lot of action. Carolina Panthers took in QB prospect Bryce Young as their No 1 overall pick. With the other top three QB prospects already acquired by the Houston Texans (CJ Stroud at No 2 overall pick) and Indianapolis Colts (Anthony Richardson at No 4 overall pick), Seattle Seahawks played an unconventional game by drafting CB Devon Witherspoon at No 5. Draft day today is very different than how it used to be decades ago. Getting more coverage and with the availability of the internet and social media, fans are able to keep up with the draft better than how it ran decades ago.

Recalling his own memories, New York Jets legend Joe Namath recently talked about his Draft Day memories and also opened up about his liking for the Jets’ new veteran QB Aaron Rodgers.

Broadway Joe reminisces his own draft-day edginess

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During a recent interview with Neil Everett, they questioned the Jets legend about how the draft day felt like back in his time in 1965. Namath was a  No 1 draft pick by the Jets in the AFL and No 12 by  Arizona Cardinals in the NFL before the two leagues merged together. Namath said that it wasn’t as televised or made accessible to people back then as it is now. 

Read more: “You Got to FaceTime Me”: Hours After Jets Grab, Aaron Rodgers Shuts Up Packers GM With Brutally Honest Words

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He said, “It wasn’t on television. It wasn’t on radio. I was up in my dormitory, and one of the guys from downstairs got upstairs and said, ‘Hey Namath, I heard that the Cardinals drafted you in the first round.’ And after that, I heard the same thing from downstairs about the Jets. The draft was at different times different hours. It wasn’t, they weren’t together. Two different leagues  Neil remember that.

Joe Namath is the only QB in Jets history to lead them to a Super Bowl victory. Now with Aaron Rodgers joining the Jets, he wants to see his team flourish and win another Super Bowl to add to their collection.

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Namath dubs Aaron Rodgers a remarkable QB

With Aaron Rodgers finally becoming a Jets QB, Everett asked Namath about what he likes particularly about A-Rod. He replied by stating that after seeing Rodgers play for almost 18 years, he considers Rodgers to be one of the best QBs in the league. He said, “He’s remarkable in my opinion as a QB. Watching him move around, watching him throw the ball from any position practically. Never in doubt about things. Puts air under the ball and drill the ball in there, he’s all game man.” Recently, Rodgers decided not to play at the Jets donning the No 12 on his jersey as the mark of respect for Joe Namath and his Jets legacy. 

via Imago

With Rodgers gearing up to play for the Jets in the new season of the NFL, fans as well as Namath will be expecting great things to come from the QB. While they will be hopeful of having a Super Bowl championship under their belt, one thing is for sure, it will certainly be an interesting time ahead in the new season of the league.

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Watch this story: $150,000,000 giant Aaron Rodgers in need of breathing space as Jets salary cap crisis hits rock bottom

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Written by:

Priyam Hazarika

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Priyam Hazarika is a ‘freshman’ at EssentiallySports. He was picked in the latest round of ‘ES Draft’ when we picked young writers with plenty of passion for NFL writing. Still in his early days, Priyam is driven by the words of wisdom from one of the greatest NFL coaches, Vince Lombardi: “Winning is not everything — but making the effort to win is.
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Edited by:

Hitesh Nigam