Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers expressed admiration for New England Patriots rookie Gabe Jacas following Sunday’s game against the Steelers. Surprisingly, Rodgers’ commendation was directed at an opponent, not a teammate.
“Great job, man,” Rodgers told Jacas, according to video shared by Morey Hershgordon of 7 Boston. “You just kept trying to take my head off.”
In response to the interaction, Jacas shared his thoughts in the locker room, stating, “It was pretty funny to have that interaction with him. I came up to him after the game, he was cool,” as reported by NBC Sports Boston.
Jacas earned Rodgers’ praise after an outstanding performance, managing an interception and three quarterback pressures. One of these pressures even led to a good-hearted exchange on the field between the two players. The interception marked the first in Jacas’ career, which dated back to his youth football days.
Reflecting on this achievement, Jacas remarked, “It was just surreal because I never had a pick before in my career. It was pretty cool to get the first pick against Aaron Rodgers.”
Jacas has demonstrated remarkable progress in the first weeks of his NFL career, securing his first sack during the season-opener in Seattle and following it up with an interception against Pittsburgh. This success is notable, given the challenges he faced, like missing much of the training camp due to injury and contract issues.
Despite criticism over his contract situation from head coach Mike Vrabel, Jacas chose to respond with dedication. He has been arriving at practice at 6:45 a.m. daily to refine his techniques with his head coach before team meetings at 8 a.m. This strategy appears to be effective.
With recent injuries, the Patriots will need Jacas to continue evolving. Dre’Mont Jones suffered a shoulder injury, and Harold Landry III has yet to be activated this season. Jacas, along with sophomore Elijah Ponder and rookie Quintayvious Hutchins, are the only edge defenders currently active. Therefore, the rookie will face pressure to fulfill the expectations tied to his draft position.
If Jacas maintains his current trajectory, his rookie season could become remarkable at One Patriot Place.
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