When historians look back on the career of Aaron Rodgers, he will be remembered for the great things he accomplished during his years with the Green Bay Packers. His time with the New York Jets and whatever comes from his stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers will be afterthoughts, much like Michael Jordan's tenure with the Washington Wizards.
While history will ultimately look kindly at Rodgers' career, one of his recent teammates shared what he is thought of in today's game during an interview on The Pat McAfee Show. The recent first-round pick was trying to compliment his new quarterback, but in the end, it looks more like a backhanded dig at Rodgers.
Jets CB Sauce Gardner Compares Aaron Rodgers to Justin Fields
Justin Fields is a talented football player and a great athlete. No one is doubting that. Comparing a guy who is already on his third team and was, essentially, not allowed to throw the football during his time at the University of Georgia isn't on the same level as Rodgers.
Packers fans are as familiar with Fields as any fan base outside of Chicago. They have seen firsthand what he can and cannot do. Gardner's suggestion that Fields is in the same stratosphere as Rodgers is, at best, a player pumping up his teammate to the national media and, at worst, downright laughable, no matter what fans think of Rodgers' exit from Green Bay.
In an interview on the Pat McAfee show on Wednesday, Gardner said, "He's really been dialed in. He made a few throws in OTAs where I was like 'YO I did not know he was capable of making this throw'. There's only a certain amount of QBs that can make these throws. I'm talking about his throws are like Aaron Rodgers type of level. "
Sauce Gardner with BIG praise for Justin Fields: 🔥 #Jets
— Harrison Glaser (@NYJetsTFMedia) July 2, 2025
"We got a new dawg in town, we've got Justin Fields. He's a dawg. I can just tell that he's locked in in terms of tape, the playbook, everything. He gets to the facility early, & he's one of the last ones to leave.… pic.twitter.com/qdN7RwP1Od
Rodgers has stated that the 2025 season will likely be his last. In a few years, the Packers legend will receive the phone call every player hopes for when word is passed along that he has been inducted into the Hall of Fame. This is the way he should be discussed, even in the latter stages of his career, as Rodgers has earned that right.
While he may have full belief from Gardner, Fields has a ways to go before he ever reaches the level that Rodgers has earned.