As it turns out, after years of questionable medical claims, Aaron Rodgers couldn’t be trusted when it came to his own body.
The multiple-time NFL MVP was supposed to be the New York Jets’ saviour, with the desperate franchise going all-in to land the quarterback who was supposed to take them to the promised land.
They hired his mate Nathaniel Hackett, fresh off one of the worst head coaching stints in NFL history, to be offensive coordinator, which hasn’t worked. They signed multiple ex-Packers – receivers Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb, plus quarterback Tim Boyle – who were all terrible.
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But all of that would’ve been OK if Rodgers was actually playing. And, after the heartbreaking Achilles injury suffered just a few plays into his Jets career, he claimed he’d be back. Repeatedly.
On September 15: “Give me the timetables. Give me all the things that you think can, should, or will happen, because all I need is that 1 little extra percent of inspiration. Give me your doubts, give me your prognostications, and then watch what I do.”
On November 7, to Chargers safety Derwin James: “Give me a few weeks (and I’ll be back).”
On November 13, to NBC reporter Melissa Stark, that he was aiming to return in mid-December. (Which he then disputed, even though he was the source of the story.)
Every paid appearance on ESPN’s The Pat McAfee Show went the same way – a few weird jokes about vaccines and suggestions if he just believed hard enough, a 40-year-old could come back from an injury that sidelines much younger men for much longer, and still play this season.
But finally, earlier this week, Rodgers admitted defeat. He claimed, counter to pretty much every comment he had made over the last 14 weeks: “Being medically cleared as 100 percent healed is not realistic at 14 weeks.”
The Jets suggested Rodgers was done because they had been eliminated from the playoffs race, though that also went against all medical evidence.
“I know he went hard at it. The optimist in me says, just observing him, he tried everything he could to come back and who knows if the circumstances were different, if we got a couple of these wins, maybe we’re having a different conversation. But I know he gave everything he could,” coach Robert Saleh said.
In a vacuum, this is all fine. A player is allowed to try and motivate themselves to recover, especially when Rodgers’ move from Green Bay to New York was so motivated by him wanting to prove his old side wrong – and win the way he wanted to win, surrounded by his mates.
But the NFL isn’t a vacuum, and instead, Rodgers’ insistence that he could recover – combined with his well-known angst when his team signs another quarterback – saw the Jets refuse to sign a capable backup to lead the Jets.
And so, despite having playoff-worthy defence and special teams units, the Jets stumbled through a season with clearly-not-good-enough ex-No.2 pick Zach Wilson at the helm, even bringing him back into the starting line-up when Rodgers’ pal Boyle was even worse.
All of this despite the fact that, in a year where QB injuries have ravaged the NFL, there were better options out there. Jacoby Brissett has been stuck on the Commanders’ bench all season; Joe Flacco, a recent Jet, has been shockingly good for the Browns.
Heck, with how ready the rest of the Jets roster is, why couldn’t they have traded for someone like the Colts’ Gardner Minshew (since they were on the market before Anthony Richardson was hurt) or the Falcons’ Taylor Heinicke? Plus guys like the Bengals’ Jake Browning and Giants’ Tommy DeVito have proven there’s at least some talent out there deep on depth charts.
But there was one last moment that really made the Rodgers story a sad one – because it’s not a hypothetical, but an actual career he has impacted.
Rodgers was placed back onto the 53-man roster this week purely so he could practice with the team. Remember, he’s not going to play this year – it’s only so he can practice.
That meant the Jets had to cut someone, and they waived fullback Nick Bawden, a journeyman who has struggled with injuries but clung onto a roster spot through hard work, playing every game this year and scoring a touchdown.
If Bawden is not claimed on waivers, he can join the Jets’ practice squad and stick around… but then they’d have to let someone else go.
But instead Rodgers, who is already having his ever whim catered to, wants to practice for 2024 – because he clearly hasn’t had enough reps since being drafted 18 years ago. So someone has to lose their job.
Safe to say Rodgers hasn’t gained many fans this year.
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