Eagles cornerback Isaiah Rodgers missed all of last season after serving a gambling suspension. The NFL reinstated him April 23, and he has worked in the team’s offseason program since.
Rodgers said during his absence that he most missed the “brotherhood” that comes in the locker room.
“I made a mistake, and I did my time,” Rodgers said in video from NBC Sports Philadelphia. “Just being back around a great team and a great culture of guys and just finally getting that locker environment back into my heart feels good.”
Rodgers was with the Colts when the NFL suspended him June 29. He was caught placing bets at the team facility and placing wagers involving his own team, though he said the bets were made for friends and family who lived in Florida, where online sports betting was illegal.
The Colts quickly released him, and the Eagles later signed him to a one-year, $1.01 million contract.
“Rules are rules, and they are there for a reason,” Rodgers said. “So, if you break them, you get your consequences. If you don’t, you continue to be great. I think that’s one thing everybody should learn [from him].”
Rodgers, who followed the NFL work week in his workout routine in 2023, is competing with rookies Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell, among others, for a starting job. He also is expected to have a role on special teams.
“I can do whatever the team needs me,” Rodgers said. “I can play defensive end and come off the edge. I’ll do that as well. Whatever coach asks me to do, I’ll lock into my playbook and study it.”