Tyreek Hill takes Jihad Ward's side in 'Hard Knocks' beef with Aaron Rodgers

2023-08-30
3 min read
(Getty Images)

Tyreek Hill is taking Jihad Ward's sidein the war of words with Aaron Rodgers.

HBO's "Hard Knocks" has been pretty light on drama and juicy info from the Jets, but Episode 4 provided a bit of hashtag-content for the internet to consume — and that's leaked well into Wednesday morning.

Cameras caught Jets QB Aaron Rodgers and Giants rusher Jihad Ward in a bit of a scuffle during their preseason matchup. Rodgers took issue with Ward bumping him well after he released the ball on a pass to Mecole Hardman, and pleasantries were exchanged.

"That's f—ing bulls—, bro," Rodgers chides. "What the f— is that? Show some respect, bro. C'mon, what the f— is that? Five damn steps? I don't even know who you are, bro."

MORE: Aaron Rodgers plays well in limited Jets debut

Ward fired back with an "I don't know who you are" in return — which is certainly something to say to one of the NFL's all-time great quarterbacks — before officials deescalated the situation.

Well, Ward appears to have some support from another Jets rival, this one coming from South Beach. On Wednesday morning, Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill chose violence. 

"I'm with Jihard Ward who is number 8 for the jets," Hill tweeted with a crying emoji. 

On its surface, it seems like a bit of trash talk from AFC East rivals. Maybe Hill was just commenting that Rodgers, who has worn No. 12 for the entirety of his NFL career, looks a bit different with the No. 8 on his chest. Or maybe he's commenting on his rejuvenated appearance with Gang Green. Who knows, really?

MORE: Why Aaron Rodgers is wearing No. 8 with the Jets

In either case, it's not the first time that Hill has taken the low road with regard to the Jets. He scoffed at the idea of playing for them at his Dolphins introductory press conference in 2022, before ultimately saying that state taxes played a part in opting to take his talents to South Beach.

The Jets and Dolphins meet in Week 12, when both teams should be firmly entrenched in the playoff hunt.

As an aside: Hill was limited to 70 yards and no touchdowns on nine receptions — and one devastating Quinnen Williams stiff-arm — in two matchups against New York in 2022.