The Jets have one more day to activate Aaron Rodgers from injured reserve. With the team officially out of playoff contention and Rodgers having torn an Achilles tendon barely three months ago, a comeback always seemed unrealistic.
After multiple reports placed the future Hall of Famer returning this season as unlikely, Rodgers confirmed he does not expect medical clearance this season. Rodgers said during his latest Pat McAfee Show appearance he would still be pushing the Jets to play had he been 100% (h/t NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport), but even after the speed-bridge surgery he underwent, the 40-year-old passer does not view himself as fully healthy.
That said, the Jets can still expect the recent trade acquisition to be back in 2024. Not only does Rodgers — who was close to retirement before the trade — expect to be back next season, the 19th-year veteran said he does not anticipate the ’24 campaign being his last. Rodgers hinted at playing beyond his 20th season this summer, but he had taken a year-to-year approach in his final seasons with the Packers.
Rodgers reaffirmed Tuesday he wanted to play two seasons with the Jets. One of those seasons would officially be in the books once the ex-Packers great reverts to season-ending IR on Wednesday, but he now views 2023 as a lost season (via Cimini) that will not count in this evolving equation. Hence Rodgers now wanting to play through the 2025 slate.
More pertinent for the Jets’ plans regarding their power structure, Rodgers said he believes in the Joe Douglas–Robert Saleh–Nathaniel Hackett trio. Referring to Saleh as a “fantastic” coach (via ESPN’s Rich Cimini), Rodgers has delivered what is expected to be a pivotal endorsement of a leader who will finish with a third straight sub-.500 season in New York. Jets ownership, however, has been viewed as being fine with writing off this season due to Rodgers’ injury and giving Saleh another shot.
Rodgers’ proclamations could represent great news for a coaching staff that has been unable to generate consistency — particularly on offense, where the Jets have submitted a historically woeful effort — following their quarterback’s season-defining injury. Not many modern-era HCs have been given a chance to return after starting a tenure 0-for-3 in winning seasons, but it is looking like the Jets will lean on Rodgers’ views here and stay the course. Saleh and Douglas would certainly enter the 2024 season on hot seats, while Hackett will be coming off two dreadful seasons as a primary play-caller. But the superstar QB’s injury is pointing to a mulligan.
In reworking Rodgers’ contract this offseason, the Jets convinced the four-time MVP to take a pay cut. Rodgers agreed to an unprecedented reduction in guaranteed money — from nearly $110MM to $75MM — through the 2024 season, and his ’23 campaign ended abruptly. No guaranteed money remains on this adjusted contract in 2025, but Rodgers is due a $35MM option bonus at that point. While the Jets will want to see how their high-profile pickup performs in 2024 after this late-career injury, their run of QB issues would not exactly point to nixing a Rodgers 2025 return.
One of the players to have rejoined Rodgers after a Green Bay stay, Allen Lazard said recently (via Cimini) Zach Wilson looks to understand he only has a few weeks left with the team. The Jets have been considered likely to separate from the disappointing No. 2 overall pick in 2024, but despite a number of benchings over the past two years, the team is hoping Rodgers’ backup can start the rest of this season. The Jets would take on an $11MM-plus dead-money hit by moving Wilson off the roster in 2024, but given his role in this disastrous season, it certainly looks like the team is finally ready to cut bait. Wilson presently resides in concussion protocol, but Saleh confirmed he will start in Week 16 if cleared.
Wilson appears to be on his way out of New York, but Rodgers endorsing the team’s GM-HC-OC trio may well lead to it remaining in place. Hackett will be attempting to come off one of the modern NFL’s worst HC stays (in Denver last year), though Rodgers has long endorsed the former Packers non-play-calling OC. Douglas is now the GM overseeing the longest active playoff drought in major North American sports. Douglas was obviously not in town for the Jets’ entire drought, but he has been in place since 2019.
They can’t seriously allow Rodgers to do his Pied Piper shtick again … can they?
It’s the Jets.
Touché
Breaking newsflash I don’t know Aaron try playing a full season without getting hurt and then we could talk about beyond 24
Blah… blah blah… blah blah blah…
Joe Douglas’s number one job this off-season is to draft and sign starting tackles. If he can’t do that, any QB would be doomed behind that line. Tippmann should be the long-term center. Vera-Tucker, if healthy, will have one of the starting guard positions. They may need to sign another guard but tackles are the key.
Joe Alt’s name should be welded to the top of their draft board in neon lights
This is so obvious from Rodgers. If he’s playing one year, the Jets have to spend that top 10 puck on a QB. If he’s in for more than one year, you take an OL and worry about the QB later.
If they don’t take an OL early on, they can just kiss all of their QBs goodbye. The line should be the primary focus in the offseason in addition to getting a quality backup QB. Most other teams seemed to find one but the Jets GM (who may be AR) stopped looking.
They need to draft a QB now. Regardless of Rodgers…. They won’t, and even though they desperately need a line this draft class has a handful of QBs that look to be legitimate prospects.
A team needs to be ready for a young QB. The jets aren’t but they’d be foolish to pass on a top prospect bc they have an aging prima dona QB. I would think he’s only saying this bc he doesn’t want them to draft one.
This guy is intolerable.
We’re really gonna be stuck with Nathaniel Hackett for 3 years, aren’t we??
I need some attention!
I know I just made a big deal about a hippie tent and seriously considered retirement, but Im not feeling important enough at this moment, so I will go ahead and soft release my intention to keep playing forever.
In the meantime, yeah, Im totally cleared to return. I just cant play because, I need to stay in the spotlight. But I promise my achilles is a total miracle. I just can’t prove it, bc you know, politics.
it’s just about money. qb salaries just got crazy at the end of his career. just wants a 2yr 110m+ and he’ll be good.
The media must interview Rodgers every day because there’s a new “breaking news” every day that is not news at all.
Notice. Rodgers is not playing this year. I still cannot believe anyone bought that he was going to come back and play NFL football 4 months after an Achilles tear.
USA is full of gullible, useful idiots. Media just loves these people whether its politics, entertainment or sports, gullible is the market.