Former Giants’ DE uses ugly analogy while assessing Aaron Rodgers and Jets | Sporting News

Chris Canty was never teammates with Aaron Rodgers, but that didn’t prevent the retired NFL defensive end from hurling a heavy accusation toward the New York Jets‘ quarterback.

With the Jets sitting at a disappointed 2-5 overall, and the 40-year-old Rodgers having already been intercepted seven times, Canty essentially decided to kick the four-time NFL MVP while he’s down on the ground.

On an episode of ESPN’s Unsportsmanlike radio show, Canty bluntly suggested that Rodgers is the source of New York’s problems.

“This guy is like a cancer that has metastasized within the New York Jets’ organization, and I don’t know how they fix it,” said Canty.

While Canty’s word choice is unwarranted, there’s no denying that it has been a tumultuous seven weeks for Rodgers and the underperforming Jets. The future Hall-of-Fame quarterback has ended two losses on uncharacteristic interceptions. The head coach has been fired. Rodgers’s friend Nathaniel Hackett was stripped of offensive play calling duties. The quarterback called out wide receiver Mike Williams for improperly running a route, and the list goes on.

Canty suggested that Rodgers showed troubling signs towards the end of his Green Bay Packers‘ tenure.

“Here’s the thing, the last couple of years in Green Bay, we suspected that Aaron Rodgers could be a little bit toxic, especially with a young team. I had no idea that it would be this bad,” said Canty, who played 11 NFL seasons, including four with the New York Giants.

After winning back-to-back NFL MVP awards in 2020 and 2021, Rodgers experienced a slight dip in production during his final season as a Packer. He failed to reach the 4,000-yard passing mark for the first time in five years and was intercepted 12 times after only 13 interceptions total over the prior three seasons combined. 

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As a team, Green Bay finished 8-9 overall after failing to defeat the Detroit Lions in the regular season finale at Lambeau Field while needing a win to earn a playoff berth.

The Jets will try to right the ship against the New England Patriots in Week 8. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET on October 27 in Foxboro.

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