Yes, someone famous might be in the house on Sunday night.
Not her. Him.
And not him, as in Patrick Mahomes. The other him.
The other him as in Aaron Rodgers. The injured Jets quarterback dropped a very strong hint about that possibility earlier this week, in an appearance with Pat McAfee. Now, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com adds that there’s definitely something to it.
Per Cimini, it hinges on Rodgers being cleared by doctors to fly, given that he had surgery to repair his ruptured Achilles tendon just two weeks ago. If he gets that clearance, he’s making the cross-country trip for the game.
It can’t hurt the Jets. Rodgers continues to be the most powerful and influential figure in the organization. He looms over everything, especially since he has floated the idea of playing again this season.
Whether he intended it or not, that offhand remark made it even harder for the Jets to make a major move at quarterback. If they would trade for someone like Kirk Cousins (which surely isn’t happening), what would occur if Cousins leads them to the playoffs and Rodgers wants to play?
On the other side of the intense desire to ensure Rodgers will remain sufficiently happy with the Jets to play for them in 2024 (and maybe 2025, now that the intended baton-pass to Zach Wilson likely won’t be a thing) is the brushfire that continues to engulf the organization. The fans, either unwilling or unable to process the fact that losing Rodgers makes them not Super Bowl contenders, want something/anything other than what they have at quarterback.
Maybe that will be Trevor Siemian. Maybe it will be someone else. For now, the Jets are just trying to survive, one game at a time.
Having Rodgers around could help. He can speak directly to his teammates. They’ll listen to him. They’re still in awe of him. Having him back in the building could be a key step in getting things back on track — especially if he can help Wilson block out the noise and focus on the job that needs to be done.
