U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. approached Aaron Rodgers about serving as his running mate, and the New York Jets quarterback is open to the idea, sources told the New York Times’ Rebecca Davis O’Brien.
Kennedy said he’s spoken with Rodgers “pretty continuously” over the past month.
Former Minnesota governor and professional wrestler Jesse Ventura is also being considered for the role, Kennedy said.
Everyone else Kennedy’s camp has approached in recent months about a potential vice-presidential run has turned him down, according to Davis O’Brien.
Rodgers, 40, has two years remaining on his contract with the Jets. The four-time NFL MVP said he hopes to play “two, or three, or four more years” in the NFL on a recent episode of the podcast “Look Into It with Eddie Bravo.”
A member of the Kennedy political family, RFK Jr. initially sought the Democratic Party’s nomination for the 2024 presidential election. He announced in October that he’d instead run as an independent candidate.
The 70-year-old is an environmental lawyer and activist who is one of the leading faces of anti-vaccine misinformation and conspiracy theories about public health topics, including COVID-19.
Rodgers has shared similar opinions about vaccines and the pandemic.
Kennedy is expected to name his running mate in the coming weeks.
