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The New York Jets (4-10) had a rare moment of excitement this past Sunday, defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars (3-11) on the road in a 32-25 thriller. Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams rekindled the magic they had in their Green Bay Packers days, but experienced Jets fans won't fall for the mirage.
Rodgers even admitted that the fireworks were “too little, too late,” via SNY.
“It's too little too late, but it's still special. It doesn't steal any of the joy from it,” the four-time MVP said post-game. “Doesn't take away any of the fun that's gonna be had on the bus just now, and then on the plane, and then we have another bus to get back to the facility. It's still gonna be special, it's always special, but this was a year of us being close, and we kind of let it get away from us in the middle of the season.”
Rodgers and Adams put on a clinic, with the former completing 16-of-30 passes for 289 yards and three scores and the latter registering nine catches for 198 yards and two of those touchdowns. The 41-year-old quarterback also rushed for a season-high 45 yards on six carries, which led the team. His production on the ground is an eyebrow-raiser given that he's been largely immobile while dealing with various leg ailments this year.
It's understandable for tortured New York fans to be excited about Rodgers' recent play. The future Hall-of-Famer's thrown 13 touchdowns and just one pick since Week 8 after tossing 10 scores and seven picks in the first seven weeks. His hot stretch recently has lifted his season-long stats, as he ranks 11th in the NFL in passing yards (3,255), tied for seventh in passing touchdowns (23), tied for 10th in passing first downs (161), tied for seventh in 20-plus-yard passing plays (44), and tied for third-lowest interceptions with quarterbacks who have 20 or more touchdowns (eight).
The glass-half-full view is that Rodgers is finally back to his true self after healing from various injuries, including his torn Achilles from last season. Jets interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich echoed that sentiment post-game, via The Associated Press's Dennis Waszak Jr.
“I think there's some absolute truth to the fact that he struggled with injuries for a good part of the season,” he said. “And as he's starting to get healthier, you're starting to see Aaron Rodgers. The real Aaron Rodgers.”
However, the cynical take is that Rodgers is far past his prime, and his advanced age makes him unlikely to stay 100% healthy for a full season. No amount of meaningless wins will change the fact that New York was supposed to be a Super Bowl contender this season, and the 10-time Pro Bowler's failure to deliver in several key moments damaged its chances. His three-interception stinker against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 5 is a prime example, along with a back-breaking interception against the Buffalo Bills the following game that led to the “red line” controversy with Mike Williams.
Should Rodgers' recent stretch buy him another season with the Jets?
Jets could use Aaron Rodgers as a bridge QB
There's no denying that Rodgers has looked like a different player the last few weeks, and if he keeps playing at a high level to finish the season, it'll be hard for the quarterback-starved franchise to move away from him. The Super Bowl XLV MVP is still under contract for 2025, with a scheduled cap hit of $23.5 million. The organization will most likely rebuild once it hires its new regime, so cap space shouldn't be its primary concern.
What's more important is for New York to acquire a young signal-caller to develop behind Rodgers next year. The team drafted Jordan Travis in the fifth round out of Florida State last offseason, and he should be in the mix going forward. However, while the 24-year-old led the Seminoles to an undefeated 2023 campaign, he's far from a sure thing. The Jets could use another young option to evaluate going forward.
Even with Rodgers in the twilight of his career, he's still a good quarterback for a young player to learn from. The four-time First Team All-Pro's knowledge of the game is unparalleled, and he's likely to be receptive to mentoring now that he won't have too many contending teams knocking on his door.
At this point, Rodgers bringing a championship to New York is as likely as him permanently moving to the moon. While the legend's Jets tenure will never be salvageable from that standpoint, he can still be a valuable part of their upcoming rebuild.
