Despite entering his 40s and coming off a serious Achilles injury, New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers remains confident in his ability to not only continue playing but also to lead the long-struggling franchise to a Super Bowl victory.
As training camp kicks off, Rodgers has been fielding questions about his future.
In a recent interview on the Pardon My Take podcast, he confirmed his commitment to the upcoming season but expressed uncertainty about how much longer he would continue playing. “I don’t know [how many more seasons I’ll play]. I’m not sure,” Rodgers said. “This one for sure. I wanted to do two good ones and to give us a chance to retire a Jet and win two Super Bowls.”
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Rodgers reiterated this sentiment during an appearance on NFL Network over the weekend.
“There was a lot of sentiment that last year wasn’t a great year for me. I’d like to still have two great years,” the four-time NFL MVP said. “The goal is New Orleans [where this year’s Super Bowl is being played]. That’s got to be the focus, got to be the manifestation through our words and our actions. Everything has to be intentional that we do on the field, in the meeting rooms.”
If Rodgers succeeds in leading the Jets to the Super Bowl this year, he would become the first quarterback in NFL history to take his team to the Super Bowl the year after suffering a season-ending injury.
Notably, while Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger managed to lead their teams to the playoffs after similar setbacks, neither reached the Super Bowl in those seasons.
Rodgers’ comments suggest that his ideal plan was to play for the Jets in 2023 and 2024, then re-evaluate his career afterward.
Before his Achilles injury in September 2023, Rodgers had hinted at retirement, especially before heading into his darkness retreat. Unfortunately, the injury derailed those plans, limiting him to just four snaps in his debut season with the Jets and preventing him from completing an official pass.
Now, with his body feeling the toll of his career and his 40th birthday behind him, Rodgers faces a race against time to achieve the goals he set when he joined the Jets. While the idea of a Super Bowl appearance or win would be an incredible achievement for Jets fans, many of whom have endured a 13-year playoff drought (the longest in American professional sports), even just breaking that drought would be a significant milestone.
As a dedicated Jets supporter, I can attest that most fans would be thrilled to see Rodgers lead the team back to the playoffs.
A Super Bowl win, or even an appearance, would be the ultimate dream, but for now, ending the playoff drought remains the primary hope for Gang Green faithful.
