Aaron Rodgers doesn’t want to ‘go out like a bum’ as he describes grim reality if Jets fail again

Aaron Rodgers put the pressure on the Jets ahead of their blockbuster season this fall, admitting he didn’t want to “go out like a bum” while highlighting the grim reality of his team extending its playoff drought – the longest of the NFL.

Speaking to reporters after his second OTA practice – the first open to the media – on Tuesday, the 39-year-old quarterback looked healthy, confident and unfazed ahead of a defining year for himself, the coach- chef Robert Saleh and general manager Joe. Douglas.

“You might not say it, but as you get older in the league, if you’re not performing well, they’re going to get rid of you or bring in the next guy to take over,” he said. he declared, recalling what his old team had said. did to him before his trade to New York in 2023. “I mean, it happened in Green Bay, and I’m a few years older than I was then.”

Setting the bar high for his teammates, Rodgers was in no mood to joke about his expectations for the upcoming season, since the Jets last made the playoffs 14 years ago, in 2010.

“I expect to play at a high level. I expect us to be productive and competitive and have everything else take care of itself,” he said, adding: “If I don’t do what I know I can do, we’re probably all going to be excluded.” from here, so… I like that kind of pressure, though.

Aaron Rodgers was in a defiant mood when asked about his ambitions for the 2024 NFL season.

The 39-year-old veteran QB has no limitations in Jets OTA after tearing his Achilles tendon in September.

Rodgers tore his left Achilles tendon in the fourth game of his Jets debut in the season opener against Buffalo on September 11. He pushed through his rehab with the intention of returning late last season, but decided to abandon those plans when New York fell out of the playoffs and he still wasn’t 100 percent healthy.

Rodgers has instead focused on being fully ready for this season – and he appears well on track to do so. The four-time league MVP and 2011 Super Bowl champion has no limitations as he practices with the team during OTAs, which began Monday.

“I feel really good,” Rodgers said. “It’s just the mental part. These workouts have been nice the last few days, just to feel what it’s like to be out there, to move without thinking about it and to see how I react the next day.

“This is the last part. Strength is good, movement is good. Just the confidence to do anything.

Added Jets head coach Robert Saleh: “He does everything. There are no limits to what we ask him to do in training.

Rodgers looked sharp and moved well Tuesday during non-contact team drills. Rodgers had a scoring throw over the middle of the field to a well-covered Xavier Gipson that would have been a touchdown. He also connected a few times with senior receiver Garrett Wilson, including one that went through traffic for a short score.

Rodgers didn’t misplace a pass until the final stages of the 90-minute practice, according to ESPN

The QB’s return has reignited optimism around the Jets, who were considered playoff contenders a year ago – with talk of a Super Bowl appearance suggested by Rodgers and his teammates.

NFL schedule makers also think highly of the team, scheduling the Jets for six prime-time night games in the first 11 weeks. They will also play an early morning national game in London against Minnesota in Week 5.

Mike North, the NFL’s vice president of broadcast planning, said last week, “I feel like the Jets owe us one” after the team scheduled five prime-time games listen and the league’s first Black Friday game and Rodgers was injured this week. 1.

“It’s New York, there will always be excitement,” Saleh said. “It’s great that we’re being looked at in this light. But at the same time, none of that matters unless we focus on the process, day by day, and try to do our best.

Rodgers’ first season as a Jet ended in the opening minutes of New York’s game against the Buffalo Bills on September 11, 2023.

Rodgers said talk of him as a potential running mate for Robert Kennedy Jr. was “real,” but his heart remained on football rather than politics.

“I love Bobby,” Rodgers said. “We had some very pleasant conversations. But there were really two options: either retire and become his vice president, or continue playing. And I wanted to continue playing.

Rodgers has made headlines other times in recent months for various comments about politics, vaccines, health care and conspiracy theories made during television and podcast appearances. He emphasized at the end of last season that the team needed to eliminate outside distractions – a statement he still stands by.

“Those were offseason things and they were real opportunities,” Rodgers said. “Once the season starts, it’s all about football.”