New York Jets

Aaron Rodgers might have been M.I.A. during the Jets' mandatory minicamp ... but when one crying New York fan needed him the most Wednesday -- he was right there to lend him a hug!!!

The four-time NFL MVP was on the links in Lake Tahoe, taking part in a practice round for the famed American Century Championship. While on the course, Rodgers ran into a fan who wasn't looking for an autograph ... but for him to bring his favorite team the Lombardi Trophy.

"I just want a Super Bowl, Aaron," the weeping man told the signal-caller. "Please!"

Jim Pons -- the man who created one of the New York Jets' logos -- is now suing the team and the NFL ... demanding he be paid for their use of his design.

Pons filed the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, in New York on Monday ... claiming he made the now-iconic emblem way back in the 1970s, after he had been working for the team as a film and video director.

Pons says in '78, the Jets were looking for a redesign -- and when he submitted his logo that featured a jet plane above the letters "E-T-S" ... team officials loved it, and began using it.

Zach Wilson will soon step off the gridiron and into a stylish tux ... 'cause he just got engaged to his model girlfriend on an Italian vacation.

Nicolette Dellanno -- the lucky lady ready to settle down with ZW -- posted pics of the two together overlooking the water on an Italian cliffside just moments ago ... and check out the pics 'cause she's got a MASSIVE rock on her left hand.

Dellanno's clad in all white here -- looking pretty dang angelic, we gotta say ... and, she's engaging in a ton of PDA with Zach, holding hands and smooching under the moonlight.

The New York Jets kickstarted their mandatory minicamp on Tuesday ... but one key player was nowhere to be found -- superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Jets head coach Robert Saleh addressed No. 8's decision to ditch the team workout with reporters just minutes ago ... saying he knew the four-time MVP would not be present due to an "event that was very important to him," but it was considered "unexcused" regardless.

Rodgers' decision will likely result in a financial punishment ... as players who miss mandatory minicamp are subject to a fine.

Aaron Rodgers is opening up on his decision to forgo a political career -- at least for now -- saying he simply wasn't ready to walk away from his day job as the quarterback of the New York Jets.

AR8 spoke with the media at his team's OTAs on Tuesday ... when he addressed his name being thrown around as Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s potential running mate for the 2024 presidential election.

Specifically, he was asked how seriously he considered the move ... and Rodgers explained he was facing a fork in the road -- but it ultimately came down to one thing.

The Jets are no strangers to bad luck (Exhibit A, Aaron Rodgers last season) ... and that's why star Gang Green fans went into a full-on panic when star CB Sauce Gardner posted a photo with Drake, fearing the famed Drizzy Curse would plague them in '24!

But, the young Pro Bowler is trying his best to assuage the fan's fears ... saying he's actually using the Drake Curse for good, to take down the 31 other NFL teams.

"I told Drake that he should bet on all other 31 teams each week," the lockdown corner wrote on X.

Aaron Rodgers' surgically repaired Achilles is already looking game ready ... as it seemed to hold up extremely well during a grueling workout in Santa Monica over the weekend.

The New York Jets quarterback hit up a popular staircase in the city on Friday afternoon with a couple members of the USC football team ... and he sure looked like a guy who had two healthy legs underneath him.

The 40-year-old went up and down the stairs over and over again -- with pace every time -- and the exercise was such a grind, it actually seemed he was on the verge of upchucking.

But, at no point did it appear his Achilles was bothering him ... an obviously great sign for the Jets.

As you know by now, the 10-time Pro Bowler had to miss the entirety of the 2023-24 season ... after he blew out the tendon just a few minutes into NY's opener on Sept. 11.

Clearly, though, it's healed up nicely.

The Jets will get an up-close look at it all themselves starting on Monday -- as Rodgers showed up to the team's voluntary offseason program in NY minutes ago with a smile on his face.

New York Jets star Sauce Gardner is addressing the backlash after stating Jewish people "run the world" ... claiming he had no idea his words would be considered antisemitic -- but has since educated himself on the matter.

The two-time All-Pro came under fire after appearing in a video with popular streamer Adin Ross -- who is Jewish -- this week ... when he stated, "I'mma be honest, like no funny, weird s***, y'all run the world."

The comment was met with laughter from those in the room ... and while Ross didn't appear offended, many took to social media to sound off on Gardner.

The former Defensive Rookie of the Year is now clarifying his controversial take ... going to X to try to explain his side of things.

"I love all people," Gardner said. "While my intentions were positive, I just learned that people use those exact words I shared for hate towards Jewish people."

"That is not what I am about and I appreciate those who took the time to educate me on that fact."

Gardner also noted the majority of his agency and marketing teams consist of Jewish people and he talks to them on the daily ... and he meant it as a compliment.

Some folks had Gardner's back ... saying they understood he didn't mean any harm.

Aaron Rodgers almost scored the coveted position of "Jeopardy!" host in the aftermath of Alex Trebek's death ... so says the show's former producer and one-time host.

Mike Richards -- who infamously lost the "Jeopardy!" hosting gig after one day due to old controversial comments he'd made -- told People that the NFL star was a frontrunner for the job after impressing as a guest host on the trivia show.

As Mike puts it ... Aaron was the most prepared guest host -- which is saying something since he guest hosted alongside TV pros like Anderson Cooper, Bill Whitaker, Savannah Guthrie, George Stephanopoulos, LeVar Burton, and Robin Roberts, among other notable names.

But, according to MR, Aaron prepped for the show very intensely and was still lovely to everyone on the staff. So, the professional quarterback was seriously considered to replace Alex -- and he was apparently interested, too.

When asked how he would juggle both hosting duties and football, Aaron supposedly told Mike that the "Jeopardy!" team would figure it out.

Alas, the job ultimately went to Mike ... who was eventually replaced by famed "Jeopardy!" champ Ken Jennings and actress Mayim Bialik after his swift firing. A less surprising contender was Katie Couric, who Mike says brought a different look to the quiz show.

On the issue of his infamous exit from the show ... Mike notes that a lot of half-truths led to his exile from the entertainment industry. For starters, he defends that he did not pick himself for the highly sought-after gig -- a panel selected him for the role in 2021.

Aaron Rodgers' VP bid won't last long, but the Democratic party's still taking him plenty seriously ... at least, according to some high-ranking party members.

Top officials of the Democratic National Committee tell TMZ ... they're not taking any chances with Rodgers, even though they're expecting his VP candidacy to last as long as his first season with the New York Jets.

Basically, sources at the DNC tell us they're not writing off Rodgers or any other celebrity candidate no matter what they may think of them ... just look what happened with Trump.

DNC members acknowledge third-party candidates can easily play spoiler in a close election ... so all the more reason to face Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and possibly Rodgers head-on.

Moving forward, we're told Democrats will be looking through old Rodgers interviews and dredging up the skeletons in the QB's locker. Essentially, they're welcoming AR to a whole new kind of gridiron ... one where Rodgers isn't likely to get an unnecessary roughness call in his favor.

As for how they feel about Kennedy and Rodgers teaming up ... our sources tell us it makes a lot of sense -- since they're both "self-important blowhards," as it was put to us. Sounds like the attack ads are already writing themselves!

Of course, RFK Jr. hasn't officially named Aaron Rodgers yet ... though he is at the top of the presidential hopeful's short list which also reportedly features WWE star Jesse Ventura, Rand Paul and Tulsi Gabbard.

NFL superstar quarterback first ... Vice President of The United States of America next?

If things go the way Robert F. Kennedy Jr. hopes, that could be how life turns out for Aaron Rodgers, because the presidential hopeful confirmed Tuesday the Jets' signal-caller is at the "top" of his running mate list.

According to the New York Times, RFK Jr. said he's been communicating with Rodgers for most of the last month, and they've talked about the role ... and Rodgers is said to be interested.

Of course, the two -- who share similar stances on vaccines and other issues -- have grown close recently, with Rodgers throwing his support behind the independent candidate publicly multiple times in the last few months.

It's unclear, however, just how Rodgers would do his New York Jets job if he were to join the ticket with Kennedy.

The election is in November ... when football is in full swing.

The NYT also reported Tuesday that former WWE star and actor Jesse "The Body" Ventura is a strong candidate to be on the ticket.

The 70-year-old -- who has reportedly also considered Andrew Yang, Rand Paul, and Tulsi Gabbard for the role -- is expected to name his official running mate within the next few weeks.

Whoever RFK Jr. ultimately chooses, he's got an uphill battle ahead, despite polling strongly for an Independent.

Aaron Rodgers está de vuelta en el programa de Pat McAfee, solo 24 horas después de que Pat anunciara que el 4x MVP de la NFL había terminado su participación por la temporada, ¡pues el jugador de los Jets hizo una aparición inesperada en las ondas de ESPN!

Pero los chicos se ciñeron a los deportes. Solo discutieron las salidas de Bill Belichick y Nick Saban de los New England y Alabama. No se habló nada de Jeffrey Epstein, Jimmy Kimmel, Anthony Fauci, COVID-19, o cualquier otro tema candente.

La visita, de unos 5 minutos probablemente, ni siquiera sería noticia si no fuera por el anuncio que McAfee hizo en el programa de ayer, donde dijo: "Los martes de Aaron Rodgers, la temporada 4, se acabó".

Pat continuó explicando que estaba aliviado de que Aaron no volviera más al programa, al menos, durante unos meses.

"Habrá un montón de gente que estará feliz con esto, yo incluido, para ser honestos con ustedes. La forma en que terminó, se puso muy ruidoso. Estoy contento de que no vaya a estar en mis menciones en el futuro, lo cual es una gran noticia".

El anuncio fue recibido con enfado por algunos aficionados, quienes percibieron que McAfee le estaba dando la espalda a Rodgers. La aparición del jueves parece poner fin a cualquier especulación de que Aaron y Pat tengan alguna disputa.

De hecho, Pat abordó algunas de las reacciones (dijo que estaba siendo "absolutamente aplastado") y aparentemente aclaró que Rodgers no iba a unirse los martes porque su temporada de fútbol había terminado y quería disfrutar de su tiempo libre.

Cuando Aaron se desconectó, Pat comentó su vínculo con Rodgers antes de seguir con su programa.

Aaron Rodgers is back on the Pat McAfee show ... just about 24 hours after Pat announced the 4x NFL MVP was done for the season, the Jets signal caller made an unannounced appearance on the ESPN airwaves!

But, the guys stuck to sports ... only discussing Bill Belichick and Nick Saban's departures in New England and Alabama. There was no talk of Jeffrey Epstein, Jimmy Kimmel, Anthony Fauci, COVID-19, or any other hot-button issues.

The 5-ish minute visit would likely not even be newsworthy if not for the announcement that McAfee made on yesterday's show, saying, "Aaron Rodgers' Tuesday, season 4, is done."

Pat went on to explain that he was relieved Aaron wouldn't be back on the show ... for a few months, at least.

“There will be a lot of people who are happy with that, myself included, to be honest with you. The way it ended, it got real loud. I am happy that he’s not going to be in my mentions going forward, which is great news.”

The announcement was met with anger by some fans who perceived McAfee as turning his back on Rodgers. Thursday's appearance would seem to put any speculation to bed that Aaron and Pat have any beef.

In fact, Pat addressed some of the reaction (he said he was getting "absolutely crushed"), seemingly clarifying that Rodgers wasn't going to join on Tuesdays because his football season's over, and he wants to enjoy his time off.

When Aaron logged off, Pat commented on his bond with AR before moving on with his show.

Aaron Rodgers' time on Pat McAfee's show is done -- for this football season, at least -- after the ESPN host announced Wednesday morning that the 4x NFL MVP would NOT be returning to his normal Tuesday morning time slot during the playoffs.

"So, Aaron Rodgers Tuesday, season 4, is done," McAfee said Wednesday morning, despite the fact Rodgers was reportedly supposed to join the show for several more weeks.

Pat continued ... “There will be a lot of people who are happy with that, myself included to be honest with you. The way it ended, it got real loud. I am happy that he’s not going to be in my mentions going forward, which is great news.”

Sources tell TMZ Sports this wasn't a network decision -- we're told Pat determines which guests appear on the show -- but ESPN is on board with the move from what we're told.

In other words ... this was McAfee's call.

Of course, the Rodgers spot on "The Pat McAfee Show" has become the most can't-miss segment on the ESPN airwaves, but it's also brought with it a ton of controversy, especially over the last two weeks when AR seemingly linked Jimmy Kimmel to Jeffrey Epstein.

Rodgers later clarified his comments, saying he wasn't implying the late-night host was a pedophile.

But, that didn't stop Kimmel from taking even more jabs at the quarterback Tuesday night.

Perhaps this indicates the war between Aaron and Jimmy is over ... as the Jets signal caller won't have Pat's massive platform to respond.

Rodgers, who has appeared on Pat's show for years, is usually a guest through the playoffs ... but that won't be the case this season.

As for whether the Rodgers spot is back for season 5 ... there's been no indication either way.

El tiempo de Aaron Rodgers en el programa de Pat McAfee ha terminado, al menos, por esta temporada de fútbol. El presentador de ESPN anunció el miércoles por la mañana que el 4x MVP de la NFL no volvería a su horario habitual de los martes durante los playoffs.

"Aaron Rodgers los martes, la temporada 4, se acabó", dijo McAfee el miércoles, a pesar de que Rodgers supuestamente iba a unirse al programa durante varias semanas más.

Pat continuó: "Habrá un montón de gente feliz con esto, yo incluido para ser honestos con ustedes. La forma en que terminó, se puso muy ruidoso. Estoy contento de que no va a estar en mis menciones en el futuro, lo cual es una gran noticia".

Las fuentes dicen a TMZ Sports que esto no fue una decisión de la red. Nos dicen que Pat determina qué invitados aparecen en el programa, pero ESPN está de acuerdo con el movimiento, según lo que nos dicen.

Por supuesto, el spot de Rodgers en "The Pat McAfee Show" se ha convertido en el segmento más imperdible en las ondas de ESPN, pero también ha traído una tonelada de controversia, especialmente en las últimas dos semanas, cuando Aaron Rodgers aparentemente vinculó a Jimmy Kimmel con Jeffrey Epstein.

Rodgers aclaró más tarde sus comentarios, diciendo que no estaba insinuando que el presentador fuera un pedófilo.

Pero eso no impidió que Kimmel criticara aún más al jugador el martes por la noche.

Tal vez esto indica que la guerra entre Aaron y Jimmy ha terminado, y ahora el jugador insigne de los Jets no tendrá la plataforma de Pat para responder.

Rodgers, quien ha aparecido en el programa de Pat por años, suele ser un invitado durante los playoffs, pero ese no será el caso esta temporada.

En cuanto a si Rodgers estará de vuelta para la temporada 5, no ha habido ninguna indicación en ese sentido.

Aaron Rodgers es firme en decir que nunca insinuó que Jimmy Kimmel era un pedófilo, diciendo directamente el martes: "No creo que él sea la palabra P".

Rodgers se unió a Pat McAfee en el "Pat McAfee Show" por primera vez desde que sugirió que Kimmel podría tener vínculos con el notorio traficante sexual Jeffrey Epstein y durante varios minutos, trató de explicar lo que realmente quiso decir con sus comentarios.

Le dijo a Pat que él y Kimmel han estado un poco enfrascados en una pelea desde la pandemia de COVID, porque el comediante lo ha acusado de estar equivocado en cosas que él considera, tiene la razón.

Rodgers dice que una de esas cuestiones tiene que ver con la lista de Epstein. La estrella de los New York Jets dijo que cree que eso existe, aunque acusa que Kimmel lo ha llamado "un loco conmocionado" por creer eso.

Rodgers dice que por eso comentó que "mucha gente, incluyendo Jimmy Kimmel, están realmente esperando que "una lista no salga".

"Me refería al hecho de que sí hay una lista", dijo Rodgers, "y hay nombres en ella y sería la segunda vez que un chiflado de cerebro blando, de universidad junior o como las otras cosas que le hayan dicho él y otras personas en los medios, tendría razón".

Rodgers luego explicó: "Entiendo perfectamente lo grave que sería una acusación de pedofilia. No soy tan estúpido como para acusarlo de eso con cero pruebas".

Rodgers luego dijo que creía que los medios, incluyendo Kimmel, están haciendo todo lo posible para cancelarlo debido a sus creencias. Dijo que piensa que los escritores de Kimmel están haciendo que el presentador del talk-show pida por él en ese sentido.

"Creo que es impresionante que un hombre que fue a Arizona State y tiene escritores de chistes pueda leer en un apuntador", dijo.

Rodgers añadió: "Le deseo lo mejor. Me importa una p*** lo que diga de mí. No lo acuso de estar en la lista".

Cabe señalar que Rodgers nunca se disculpó por nada, algo que Kimmel exigió durante una diatriba de casi ocho minutos en el episodio del martes de "Jimmy Kimmel Live".

Kimmel se enfureció durante su discurso, calificando a Rodgers de todo mientras proclamaba que nunca había tenido ningún tipo de asociación con Epstein.