Jets' Aaron Rodgers 'not naive' to fact team might release him after this season
Braden Fiske of the Los Angeles Rams takes down Aaron Rodgers of the Jets during the second half at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Aaron Rodgers knows he has no say in whether the Jets decide to bring him back next season, but he hopes that they give him the option to think about it.
Rodgers continues to say the Jets could move on from him quickly. He hasn’t spoken to owner Woody Johnson about his future, but Rodgers said he’s “not naive to” the fact that the Jets could release him the day after the season ends.
“It’s not zero percent in my mind,” Rodgers said during a Tuesday Zoom call. “I don’t think there’s a high percentage. I think there's probably a conversation to be had. I’m just not naive to that being a zero percent chance. I think it's more than a zero percent and less than a certainty, so somewhere in the middle.”
Rodgers said he hasn’t been given any indication either way. He understands that “anything is truly possible” the way this season has gone for the Jets, who are 4-11 and facing a massive overhaul after the in-season firings of head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas.
“There's a lot of things that could happen,” Rodgers said. “On Jan. 6 or 7, they could say, ‘We want you to come back next year.’ But they could just as easily say, ‘Hey, we're going to go in a different direction,’ whatever that looks like. So, open to all of it, understanding all of it's possible and I look forward those conversations.”
Rodgers is focused on finishing the season on the field. He’s dealing with an MCL issue in his knee that he sustained in Sunday’s loss to the Rams. Rodgers’ goal coming back from a torn left Achilles tendon has been to play all 17 games this season. He’s been hampered by hamstring, knee and ankle injuries previously and played through all of it. Rodgers assured he’s playing Sunday in Buffalo
“There is no way I’m not playing,” Rodgers said.
Rodgers, 41, hasn’t decided whether he will play next season yet. Whether the Jets release him or not, he plans to spend some time and make his decision. His first choice would be to return to the Jets, though.
“I just want to take some time personally,” Rodgers said. “Whatever the team wants to do, I have nothing but gratitude for the Johnsons and everyone I've met here and everybody who brought me in. It's been obviously not as successful as we thought it was going be, but I made a lot of a lot of good friends here and had a lot of a really special moments — had some really difficult ones, too.
“But no animosity, whatever happens, whatever they decide. And even if they said we’d love for you to come back and play, I'm still going to need some time mentally to get away from it and to see how I feel, if I want to come back for a 21st season.”
Rodgers said it would be “special” if the Jets wanted him him back.
“It’d mean that they see me as an important part of helping the culture, the changeover, whatever they do at head coach and helping the next wave of New York Jets,” he said. “That’d be special to hear that, but if they don't no offense at all will be taken.”
Fashanu to IR
Left tackle Olu Fashanu’s promising rookie season is over. He was placed on injured reserve after suffering a plantar fascia injury in his foot in Sunday’s loss.
“It’s unfortunate,” interim coach Jeff Ulbrich said. “He's having a great rookie season.”
The Jets anticipate Fashanu making a full recovery.
New kicker
The Jets signed kicker Greg Joseph to their practice squad. He and Anders Carlson — who missed an extra point and field goal Sunday — will compete for the kicking job. Ulbrich said Greg Zuerlein could be a part of the competition. He’s currently on IR.
Joseph could become the fifth kicker the Jets use this season. He made 115 of 140 field goal attempts over six seasons with the Browns, Titans, Vikings, Commanders and Giants.
Two-minute drill
Ulbrich said he would know more about the game status of Quinnen Williams (hamstring) and Sauce Gardner (hamstring) when the Jets practice Thursday. … The Jets signed safety Jarius Monroe to the active roster, added defensive end Kameron Cline to the practice team and released tight end Neal Johnson from the practice team.
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
