There is much anticipation in the NFL universe to see New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers return to the field in 2024, but one unnamed head coach in the league recently asserted that the former four-time MVP is far removed from his best years.
The Athletic’s Mike Sando shared comments from the anonymous head coach who extrapolated the small sample size that Rodgers put on display in Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season as good enough reason to shoot down his ability to play up to the immeasurable standard he’s set for himself throughout his soon-to-be 20-year career. The source had this to say about how the California native looked in the four plays he executed against the Buffalo Bills during last year’s season opener before going down with a torn Achilles:
“You go back and watch those first four plays before he got hurt, he did not look good,” the coach said. “He looks old. If they can’t protect him and they can’t run the football, it’ll be just what you saw late stages in Green Bay. He became ineffective. I’m looking at what he is, not who he is.”
Jets: Aaron Rodgers did have a rocky performance in his shortened 2023 season debut
Though every snap counts, four is not a high enough snap count for Rodgers to have proven whether or not he can deliver when the stakes count. Admittedly, the 40-year-old passer did throw two incomplete passes in that drive, one of which ran simultaneously with a Buffalo penalty, and was sacked for a loss of 10 yards on his fourth play where he then sustained the debilitating injury. Nevertheless, Rodgers did not get a chance to put together a discernible body of work.
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Rodgers deserves to be properly assessed after playing through the 2024 season
It would be fair to judge him based off of the last full season he played in 2022. As the leader of the Green Bay Packers, Rodgers saw his completion percentage fall to 64.6 percent after it ascended to 70.7 percent in 2020 and 68.9 percent in 2021 — both of which being his last two MVP seasons. Further, Rodgers threw 12 interceptions in 2022, which was nearly three times more than any single-season interceptions total for the Cal product in the previous four NFL campaigns.
Rodgers is advancing in age, with little on-field reps in the offseason and preseason. Despite all of this, the 10-time Pro Bowler deserves the benefit of the doubt to run through the first handful of games on the Jets’ 2024 season schedule with his new high-powered offense before deducing if he truly is over the hill or not.
