Week one of “Monday Night Football” had the makings of a Hollywood movie for the New York Jets. Right after their “Hard Knocks” season on HBO Max, starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers seemed poised for a dazzling debut against the Buffalo Bills. Instead, reality came knocking.
On the fourth snap of the first quarter, Bills defensive end Leonard Floyd sacked Rodgers, resulting in Rodgers tearing his Achilles tendon. Despite his injury, backup QB Zach Wilson came in and led the Jets to a 22-16 overtime victory over the Bills. While Rodgers’s regular season is over, football fans are debating whether Rodgers should retire, heal and come back next season, or even try to make a comeback before the NFL playoffs in December.
While a Rodgers resurgence would be a marketable decision for the Jets, pushing for a playoff return is too risky for a quarterback of his age with a serious injury. The star quarterback should leave this season alone and rest for next season.
Rodgers’s first interview since his injury was on “The Pat McAfee Show,” where he spoke about his experience since the disastrous game and hinted at a return for the playoffs.
“Give me the doubts, give me the timetables, give me all the things that you think can, should, or will happen, because all I need is that one little extra percent of inspiration,” Rodgers said to McAfee.
Rodgers is 39; he’s no young buck in his prime. I do not want to jinx it, but trying to heal quickly might result in complications. Colts quarterback Andrew Luck was forced to retire at age 29 from his football injuries. Injuries are a part of football. Every player is different, but knowing that Rodgers only did four plays and tore his Achilles doesn’t give me hope for a playoff comeback.
The Jets should focus more on their squad at the moment rather than on Rodger’s premature comeback. It’s a great young offensive team with a weak defense. When the Jets were building this squad, many fans and sports analysts complained their defense was flawed. Rodgers said that he always has “trust in his line,” yet it only took minutes to end this shining star quarterback’s season. The New York Jets should follow the strategy used by the Denver Broncos in 2014-15 and the San Francisco 49ers every three to five years by building a great defense with rookies, both well-knowns and veterans.
The Jets’ coaches want to invest in Rodgers’ comeback for the next three to four seasons. They have strong offense to support him, but they will need to match it with defense to protect him. Also, with Rodgers’ time in Green Bay, he could make a move like Tom Brady and have some of his old teammates join him on the Jets.
The last reason for Rodgers to wait until next season is his statistics from the 2022-23 season. On Clutchpoints.com, Quinn Allen pointed out that Rodgers’ 2022 season was one of his worst.
“We also have to take into consideration that Rodgers just had a miserable campaign. He threw 12 interceptions, the most picks since 2008. Plus, the 91.1 passer rating was the lowest of his career,” Allen said. “To make matters worse, Rodgers failed to surpass the 300-yard passing mark once in 2022. for a two-time passing touchdowns leader, that’s unacceptable.”
Although Rogers is in a boot and walking on crutches, one misstep could just create more complications with healing. Knowing the 2-3 record for the Jets, it is clear that this is different from the super team they wanted for Rogers. Rogers should focus on healing and supporting his team. He can help with the rebuild and the plays and systems he can bring to his squad.
While Rodgers’ returning in time for the NFL playoffs would wow his fans, it’s clear that patience will pay off.
Bijan • Oct 24, 2023 at 4:17 pm
Jets are not making the playoffs GO RAIDERS