Aaron Rodgers produced arguably the best overall performance, to date, of his New York Jets tenure when he completed 23-of-36 passes for 274 yards with four touchdowns and one interception in the club’s 32-20 win over the Miami Dolphins to close the season.
Numerous analysts believe that will also go down as Rodgers’ final game with the Jets, but The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt noted on Thursday that “many” of the quarterback’s current teammates “hope he returns” for another season and “insist that he can still play at a high level” despite how he performed throughout much of the season.
“I think he has a ton left in the tank,” Jets tight end Tyler Conklin recently said about Rodgers. “He played in 17 games this year and he battled through a lot of crap that people gotta battle through. But to do it at the age he did it, I think that proves how much he has in the tank. To go out there at 40 years old and play 17 games, to play it the way he did it — I mean, the arm talent and the mind and the mobility is all still there. He was running around, scrambling, throwing touchdowns on the move (against the Dolphins) just like he was 10 years ago.”
Rodgers famously suffered a torn Achilles four offensive snaps into the 2023 season, and he often looked like a shell of his former great self this season. However, it was reported Wednesday that the hamstring strain Rodgers began dealing with during the first half of the campaign “was the most significant you can have with it still being attached to the bone” and kept him from moving “like himself for a large portion of the season.”
Jets insider Connor Hughes of SNY mentioned on Wednesday that “multiple sources” believe team owner Woody Johnson prefers “a fresh start and to move on from” Rodgers. With that said, Johnson told Brian Costello of the New York Post ahead of the Miami game that he will let the club’s yet-to-be-hired general manager and head coach make the final call on whether or not Rodgers is asked to return for a third season with the Jets.
Eyebrows were raised when it was reported in December that wide receiver Garrett Wilson could ask for a trade if the Jets bring Rodgers back, but Wilson later poured cold water over such talk. Additionally, Jets running back Breece Hall seems willing to welcome Rodgers back to the locker room.
Of course, Rodgers could put the matter to bed by retiring. If he doesn’t, those making personnel decisions for the Jets a couple of months down the road could feel that the 41-year-old playing next season as he mentors a rookie and/or 2024 fifth-round draft pick Jordan Travis is what’s best for the organization.