2 weeks Ago
GLENDALE, Ariz. – Aaron Rodgers couldn’t hide his disappointment after the Jets disastrous, 31-6 loss to the Cardinals on Sunday afternoon. Although it didn’t seem as if he was trying too hard.
A stone-faced Rodgers walked from the locker room to the lectern at State Farm Stadium where he spoke (very) quietly about how the Jets couldn’t do anything right against the Cardinals. The offense squandered chances in the red zone and couldn’t score a touchdown in a must-win game. The defense missed tackles and let Arizona romp to three straight touchdown drives of 70 yards or longer to start the game, something from which the Jets never recovered.
And Rodgers admitted, in what has been a rollercoaster of a season – with some peaks and a whole lot of valleys – he hadn’t seen this epic egg laying coming after the Jets played their best half of the season 10 days earlier to beat the Texans. “There’s been a lot of emotions this year for sure,” Rodgers said. “I thought after a big win on Thursday night and a nice long week we were going to come out with a lot of energy and win the game.
We didn’t come out with great energy on either side of the ball and offensively, you’re not going to beat anybody scoring six points.” When pressed further about the emotions, Rodgers admitted there was a lot to go over. And he promised he would.
But with a notable and cryptic caveat. BUY JETS TICKETS: STUBHUB , VIVID SEATS , TICKETSMARTER , TICKETMASTER “It’s a lot of different emotions. It seems like there’s a lot,” Rodgers said.
“That’s a loaded answer, but it’s not the time or the place to get into any of that right now. At some point, I’ll give you a better answer.” So what was he referring to? With Rodgers less than a month from his 41st birthday and playing well below the elite level he’s accustomed to, everyone’s mind will go straight to the possibility that this is the end of the road for Rodgers.
With the Jets almost certainly headed for a 14th straight season missing the playoffs – the longest active streak in major North American professional sports, by a lot – Rodgers’ future will be a primary storyline over the final seven games and eight weeks of this all-time disappointing season. Does Rodgers want to keep playing? Does he want to keep playing with the Jets? Would the Jets even want him back? Would another team want Rodgers after what we’ve seen from him this year? All are viable questions. Rodgers is far from the worst quarterback in the league.
His poor play has probably been slightly overblown because of his remarkable past record of success – and for a nearly 41-year-old coming off a devastating Achilles injury who has been playing through punishment and pain for the last two months. Of course, this is Rodgers, so perhaps he‘s referring to something else entirely. Perhaps he’s unhappy with the organization, or himself, for the miscalcuation that he could be the guy who fixed this mess.
The possibilities are endless. And it could be weeks before Rodgers reveals what he was thinking, if he does at all. But no matter what Rodgers is feeling, the reality of his and the Jets' predicament won’t change.
For the last 20 months, Rodgers has billed himself as the Jets’ savior. He’s recruited his most productive teammate in Davante Adams and vowed that it would only be a matter of time before the Jets got on track. And then, multiple times with the game on the line this season, he couldn’t deliver when it mattered most.
And on Sunday, with the Jets’ season hanging by a thread, Rodgers went 23-of-35 for 151 yards, no touchdowns, and no plays longer than 15 yards. He targeted Adams 13 times, completing six passes for 31 yards. Not good enough.
And while Rodgers could get away with delaying the inevitable questions, that won’t last long. They will be coming for him, more swiftly than any pass rush has in his career, over the final seven weeks of this season. And the answers aren’t likely to be any more pleasant than this season has been.
MORE JETS COVERAGE Uncommon Ground Jets NFL Draft order: After nightmare loss to Cardinals it‘s time to look at where they might pick in 2025 Jets' Sauce Gardner ‘beating myself up’ after ugly missed tackle in Cardinals smackdown. He’s not alone Ex-NFL QB: Jets are broken from top to bottom | Why it will get worse from here Jets destroyed by Cardinals, cementing their place as an all-time NFL bust with Aaron Rodgers Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription.
Andy Vasquez may be reached at [email protected] ..
