Aaron Rodgers cleared the air about his meeting with the New York Jets a recent appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.”

As often was the case while Rodgers was on the Jets, his chat on that show got interesting.

According to Rodgers, the conversation he had with head coach Aaron Glenn was brief. It left Rodgers very disappointed with how things were handled and how dismissive Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey were regarding his potential return.

Did Glenn disrespect a Hall of Fame QB or does this have more to do with the ego of Rodgers being bruised by a new head coach who preferred to take the team in a new direction?

With that, here are four takeaways from Rodgers’ recent interview:

Rodgers sounds bitter

Rodgers overall tone as he discussed the meeting with Glenn and Mougey was full of frustration as well as with some sarcasm.  He talked about how he flew to New Jersey using his own money for what he felt would be a productive and lengthy conversation about whether he would play next season as well as the roster. But, the meeting was very brief with Rodgers claiming within the first twenty seconds, Glenn telling him they were going in a different direction at quarterback.

The Jets have a different take regarding Rodgers flying to the east coast.  According to Tom Pelissero during an interview with Rich Eisen, the Jets claim that Rodgers told them he was going to be in the area during that week and the Jets told him to stop by the building.  In fairness to the Jets organization, this is more of a plausible explanation than what Rodgers told McAfee. Aaron Rodgers moves to the beat of his own drum. He took a vacation to Egypt last offseason while the team held a mandatory mini-camp. Are we to believe that Rodgers got on a plane to New Jersey and paid with his own money because the Jets summoned him for a meeting? That doesn’t sound like something he would do.

Rodgers has a right to be annoyed at the way he felt the meeting was handled. He mentioned to McAfee that a phone call telling him their plans would have been better than having him fly across the country. That’s a fair point, but let’s play devil’s advocate. Had the Jets called Rodgers instead of meeting face to face, they would have been criticized by some in their media circle as well as the Hall of Fame quarterback. It also contradicts what Rodgers said in a 2013 tweet that recently re-surfaced that a meeting in person is always better than a phone call.

It’s clear that Glenn wanted to close this chapter as quickly as possible so he can begin rebuilding the Jets in his vision.  Out of respect to Rodgers, Glenn preferred to tell him face to face rather than over the phone. There is nothing wrong with the way this was handled whatsoever.

Glenn’s concerns were warranted

During the meeting, it was revealed that Glenn was concerned about Rodgers possibly undermining him during team meetings.  While there is no way of knowing now if this would have happened during the season, it’s understandable for Glenn to be nervous about Rodgers’ influence over current players on the roster, his potential to undermine Glenn’s authority or the play calling of his rookie offensive coordinator, Tanner Engstrand.   

Would Rodgers overrule Engstrand during a crucial moment of the game if he didn’t like the play?  If Engstrand tries to talk to him, would Rodgers care what he has to say? What if the play Rodgers calls backfires and cost the Jets the game?  While Rodgers doesn’t automatically invite the drama into the building at One Jets Drive, all it takes is one moment like this and someone to leak it in the organization and the buzzards would have been immediately circling around the tension between the quarterback and the head coach.

The fact that Rodgers went on a nationally televised show and revealed details of a private meeting to the public only reinforced Glenn’s concerns about the quarterback’s influence and his attitude.

Glenn’s approach was tough but necessary

One thing you do have to respect about Glenn is that he was not the least bit intimidated by Rodgers.  According to Rodgers, Glenn asked him if he wanted to keep playing and Rodgers responded that he was “interested.”  That’s a pretty tepid response to a serious question. If Rodgers was committed to the Jets for the upcoming season, perhaps it’s a different conversation. But, rather than let it drag out and potentially damage their backup plan for the quarterback position, Glenn immediately told Rodgers that they were going in a different direction.  

Rodgers was upset that Glenn didn’t want to “pick his brain” on the organization, the roster etc.  In all fairness to the new Jets head coach, what advice could Rodgers possibly offer to Glenn that he doesn’t already know?  Glenn and Mougey are building this team with their vision in mind.  They know the roster has talent and they know who the leaders are. Why would they care about the opinion of a quarterback they no longer wanted?     

Perhaps Rodgers walked into this meeting still believing he had plenty of influence over the organization and ownership. However, Glenn wanted to send a message to Rodgers that this was his team now, ripped the band-aid off and closed the door on any chance of a partnership. He’s not used to being told no so it was definitely a blow to the ego of Aaron Rodgers. It may not have looked great from an optics perspective, but it was a necessary evil for Glenn and the Jets to turn the page and start the next chapter.

Rodgers was vague about next season

When asked about playing next season, Rodgers was once again vague about his future. He cited some personal matters with family and friends that he needs to focus on right now before making a decision. That’s commendable on the part of Rodgers as Family and friends come first. He also looked very happy and relaxed during the interview from his home in Malibu.

Rodgers mentioned conversations with Brian Daboll and the Giants. He took issue with false reports about him “begging” the Jets to return as well as conversations he had with the Vikings. The Giants have solidified their quarterback position for the upcoming season and it’s looking more and more likely that JJ McCarthy will be the starter for the Vikings. So, barring a dark horse team swooping in, it’s either the Steelers or retirement for Rodgers.

Mike Tomlin is in a bit of an awkward spot as the draft begins on Thursday night. Does he wait out Rodgers and hopes he chooses to join the Steelers? Does he trade up in the first round to select Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders or does he stay at #21 and hope Ole Miss QB Jaxon Dart falls to that spot? Pittsburgh’s decision would be much easier to make if Rodgers would tell them his plans.

It’s déjà vu regarding the future of Aaron Rodgers with the only difference being the team. The good news about that?  It’s no longer the Jets problem.

This article originally appeared on Jets Wire: 4 takeaways from Aaron Rodgers’ interview post-Jets breakup