After the Jets' performance on Sunday, why would Aaron Rodgers rush back?
Jets head coach Robert Saleh and quarterback Aaron Rodgers watch from the sidelines as the Raiders defeat the Jets at Allegiant Stadium on Nov. 12 in Las Vegas. Credit: Getty Images/Ethan Miller
ORCHARD PARK
Urgent memo to Aaron Rodgers: Don’t bother.
By the time Sunday morning’s flurry of national media leaks was over, it seemed as if the attention-loving Jets quarterback might return to work Monday.
OK, maybe it was Dec. 2. Or Christmas Eve. Or a few fortnights from now. Who can keep track of this stuff anymore?
Point is, Rodgers seems to be doing everything possible to return from his torn Achilles tendon before the end of the season, and to let everyone know about it.
Good for him that he is dedicated and wants to help. Bad for him and the Jets if he goes through with this.
First, the Jets are teetering on the brink of playoff irrelevance after a 32-6 loss to the Bills on Sunday at Highmark Stadium.
At 4-6, with a tough game against the Dolphins on Friday, the math for making the playoffs is getting bleaker by the week.
Second, the offense continues to be a dysfunctional mess.
Why would Rodgers want to play behind this shell of a line, which gave up six sacks on Sunday after losing left tackle Mekhi Becton to an ankle injury in the first quarter, making a bad situation worse?
At least Zach Wilson is fleet enough to escape from pressure. How is Rodgers supposed to run away from these pass rushers?
Things are coming apart at the seams. Star wide receiver Garrett Wilson clearly is frustrated, coordinator Nathaniel Hackett moved from the sideline to the upstairs booth, which did not help, and now there is a quarterback mini-controversy.
Coach Robert Saleh finally — and correctly — yanked Zach Wilson in favor of Tim Boyle with 2:17 left in the third quarter and the Bills up 29-6.
That did not help, either. Saleh said he will decide on Monday whether to start Wilson or Boyle against the Dolphins, and/or whether to elevate Trevor Siemian from the practice squad.
It was telling that both Saleh and Boyle noted Boyle’s acumen at getting the ball out of his hands quickly, something that is particularly important given this line and has been a problem for Wilson.
But such decisions merely are academic. None of those guys are the answer.
The Jets did finally score a touchdown, 45 seconds before halftime, ending a drought that covered 12 quarters — plus an overtime — and 41 possessions.
But that happened only because of a fake punt on a fourth-and-2 at the Jets’ 24 on which Thomas Morstead threw an 18-yard completion to Brandin Echols.
To that point, the offense had been an embarrassment, and it seemed possible that Wilson would be replaced at halftime.
He was not, thanks to that face-saving 9-yard touchdown pass to Breece Hall that cut the deficit from 16-0 to 16-6. (The two-point try failed.)
It was the Jets’ first touchdown since Hall scored in the first quarter against the Giants on Oct. 29. It is unclear whether the Jets will score another this season.
Wilson finished 7-for-15 passing for 81 yards, one touchdown, one interception and no completions to a wide receiver.
Boyle finished 7-for-14 passing for 33 yards and an interception, Hall rushed 10 times for 23 yards and the Jets were 0-for-11 on third downs.
“It’s definitely an offense that needs to get better; let’s put it that way,” Saleh said.
When asked about Wilson’s play, the coach said, “I don’t think anyone did anything today — players, coaches, schemes. It was obviously not good enough.”
Said Wilson, “I promise we’re just as frustrated as everybody else watching. That was ugly. It’s not the standard. It’s not the expectation. All we can do is try to improve and get better.”
The quarterback also said, “What’s moping around and feeling bad for yourself going to do?”
Nothing, really. This appears to be hopeless.
And now the Jets’ elite defense might be fraying. With the Bills up 16-6 entering the second half, Josh Allen threw touchdown passes of 28 yards to former Jet Ty Johnson and 81 yards to Khalil Shakir.
Game over.
Wilson’s struggles were amplified by the fact that earlier in the day, the Giants’ Tommy DeVito, an undrafted rookie, threw three touchdown passes in a victory over the Commanders.
Wilson, who was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 draft, never has thrown three touchdown passes in a game.
On one scramble, Wilson was pushed out of bounds and leveled Saleh. The two went down in a heap together. Draw your own symbolism from that.
Why would Rodgers want anything to do with this mess?
Why not make sure his Achilles is fully healed and run this thing back in 2024, maybe after a trade for Raiders receiver Davante Adams?
It’s been a rough two months. No need to compound the problem over the next two months.
Stay on the sideline, Aaron. See you on the field in September.
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.
