Any discussion of quarterback Aaron Rodgers returning to the field this season hinged on two things.
The first was his recovery from a torn Achilles and the other was that the Jets remained alive in the race for the postseason. We’ve reached Week 16 and the Jets have been eliminated after falling to 5-9 with Sunday’s loss to the Dolphins, so a question about Rodgers returning seemed like a softball for head coach Robert Saleh to answer at Monday’s press conference.
Saleh’s answer about Rodgers returning this year wasn’t a no, however. He said he didn’t “have anything for you guys on that one right now” and that “you could make arguments either way on both sides of the coin” about Rodgers playing despite the Jets’ circumstances, but that any discussion was moot unless and until Rodgers is cleared medically.
“For sure, you always do, but Aaron wants to play, let’s not confuse that one,” Saleh said, via a transcript from the team. “That’s why he’s been working so hard to get back, and his willingness to play, even if he’s not at 100%, is at the forefront of his mind. He wants to go. But, like I said, until he’s actually cleared, I’m not going to talk about it with anybody.”
Given Rodgers’ injury and the Jets’ record, there would seem to be about as much chance of Joe Namath playing quarterback for the team as there is of Rodgers taking his first snaps since Week One but official word will have to wait a little bit longer.
