“The hype was off the charts,” says New York-based sportswriter Ian O’Connor.

He already felt that Rodgers was the “most compelling and polarising determine” within the NFL and his bid to win a championship for “a loser-ville franchise within the NFL’s greatest market” impressed him to write a Rodgers biography., exterior

O’Connor had adopted the Jets’ sorry seek for a successor to legendary quarterback Joe Namath, which had turned them right into a laughing inventory. They’ve failed to succeed in the post-season since 2011, the longest present play-off drought within the NFL.

However, after 18 years and a Tremendous Bowl win with the Inexperienced Bay Packers, Rodgers was able to swap the NFL’s smallest marketplace for the Massive Apple and relished his new way of life.

He made quite a few public appearances and Jets followers warmed to their new star after seeing how he was portrayed within the Laborious Knocks collection, which adopted the Jets’ coaching camp.

“I have been masking sports activities in New York for nearly 4 many years and I’ve by no means seen a celebrity athlete from one other market embracing New York like Aaron Rodgers did,” O’Connor informed BBC Sport. “It was a complete love-fest.

“Jets followers could not get sufficient of it. New Yorkers actually embraced him and did not care about his vaccine views or conspiracy theories.

“They did not care about something besides his soccer expertise and the possibility to see the Jets attain the Tremendous Bowl for the primary time since Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon (1969).

“To have that ripped away 4 performs into the season, it was a tricky night time. I used to be within the constructing and I’ve by no means been extra heart-sick for an athlete and a fanbase.”

With out Rodgers, the Jets completed the 2023 season with a 7-10 document and though he returned final yr, head coach Robert Saleh was sacked because the Jets slumped to 5-12.

O’Connor mentioned that Rodgers deliberate for “two wholesome seasons with the Jets”. He received only one as, in February, new coach Aaron Glenn and basic supervisor Darren Mougey mentioned they wished to go “in a unique course”.