Aaron Rodgers is back with the club after getting the OK from his doctors to fly back east. It’s not Taylor Swift, but Sunday might be a turning point for the struggling New York Jets.
A source close to the NFL has told Jordan Schultz that Aaron Rodgers is back with the club after getting the OK from his doctors to fly back east. Schultz said that on Saturday evening, Rodgers was at the Jets’ facility in Florham Park, New Jersey, where the team would be playing the Kansas City Chiefs on “Sunday Night Football.”
Aaron Rodgers is back
After missing the previous two weeks of activity due to surgery to repair a torn Achilles’, Rodgers attended the team meeting and addressed his teammates. After being traded for over the summer from the Green Bay Packers, the future Hall of Fame quarterback was hurt in his first game for Gang Green.
On Friday, wide receiver Garrett Wilson was questioned about the possibility of a return from Rodgers. “That would be awesome, as good of a football mind as he is, to have him around the team,” Wilson said. Someone like me needs someone to talk to, someone to bounce ideas off of, someone to read his mind.
The presence of someone with his aura and enthusiasm is invaluable. His return will be welcomed with open arms. This weekend, hopefully.
Arrival of Aaron Rodgers
The arrival of Rodgers in 2023 raised expectations, but the Jets have struggled since his injury in Week 1. Although they opened the season with an overtime victory over the Buffalo Bills on “Monday Night Football,” the Jets have since lost two games in a row, outscored 45-20.
This year, Zach Wilson was supposed to serve as the Associated Press’s most valuable player’s understudy. Instead, Wilson is now the starting quarterback despite having the worst stat line of his career after three games (52.4 percent completion rate, two touchdowns, four interceptions, 27.1 quarterback rating).
New York Signed Veteran QB
On Tuesday, New York signed veteran quarterback Trevor Siemian after giving up on Eli Manning. This comes after Wilson has been criticized for weeks by industry insiders, fans, and even NFL veterans like Jets Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath, who went on ESPN New York’s “The Michael Kay Show” this week to blast Wilson’s performance.
When it comes to Zach Wilson, I’ve had enough. I can’t take any more. “I don’t believe what’s going on up there,” Namath stated, pointing to the quarterback’s head, before continuing, “I don’t believe in him, I don’t believe he has a future as a good player, and I think they made the wrong choice when they drafted him, I feel that way.”
Zach Wilson
Wilson, at 24 years old, stands to benefit from Aaron Rodgers’ return to the bench. During the preseason, when the 2021 No. 2 pick saw the most action, Rodgers would talk to Wilson through his headset.
As witnessed on “Hard Knocks,” Rodgers can be a reassuring presence for the young quarterback, allowing their mentoring relationship to continue even when they face the reigning Super Bowl champion Chiefs on Sunday night. Since Rodgers has only recently been observed utilizing crutches and a walking boot on Thursday, his availability on the sideline has yet to be confirmed.
Conclusion
During his regular interview on ESPN’s “Pat McAfee Show,” Rodgers dropped hints about a possible comeback to the Jets. They say, “You never know who you’re going to see at the game,” and he was right. Now we know that the “who” he was referring to wasn’t supposed girlfriend/superstar Taylor Swift of Travis Kelce.