Jacksonville Jaguars defensive tackle Jeremiah Ledbetter (99) sacks New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Jacksonville, in Florida (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Aaron Rodgers has been turning back the clock in recent weeks — and reigniting discussions about whether the New York Jets quarterback still has another quality season in him.
Or maybe even more.
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Rodgers, 41, rushed like a youngster and threw the ball down the field to Davante Adams like it was old times during a 32-25 win Sunday at Jacksonville.
READ: NFL: Aaron Rodgers faces arduous but not impossible road to recovery
In his last two games, Rodgers is 43 of 69 — a 62 percent completion rate — for 628 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions.
“I think there’s some absolute truth to the fact that he’s struggled with injuries for a good portion of the season,” interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich said Monday. “And as he starts to get healthier, you start to see Aaron Rodgers. The real Aaron Rodgers.
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This looks more like the quarterback the Jets and their fans expected when Rodgers was acquired from Green Bay in April 2023. A torn Achilles tendon sabotaged his debut in just four moves. A series of hamstring, ankle and knee injuries early in the season clearly affected his mobility and ability to make the type of plays he is so accustomed to.
Rodgers even ran for 45 yards, the seventh-highest total in his 20-year career, on six carries in the win over the Jaguars.
“I didn’t think he had it in him,” left guard John Simpson said with a laugh. “But he’s moving again. Man, he’s having fun with this.
There were debates on radio and television about whether Rodgers was done and everyone is watching the demise of one of the NFL’s greatest quarterbacks.
Rodgers says – with his legs and his right arm – not so fast.
“After watching him run the last few weeks and get his mobility and health back,” Ulbrich said, “every part of me is like, ‘This guy has a few more years, at least, left in him.’
READ: NFL: Jets lose Aaron Rodgers to Achilles injury
The big questions are:
Does Rodgers want to continue playing? (He said he was undecided).
Do the Jets want him beyond this season? (That remains to be seen with New York looking for a new general manager and coach).
There are also contractual issues to consider. Rodgers is signed through next season with a non-guaranteed base salary of $2.5 million and would receive a $35 million option bonus. He would also count $23.5 million against the salary cap. But if he is fired or retires, the Jets could absorb a $49 million dead money charge.
Rodgers certainly gives the franchise, which is 4-10 and has the NFL’s longest active playoff drought at 14 seasons, something to think about. And for at least a few weeks, he’s been providing a glimpse of what might have been — and what might move forward.
“Too little, too late, but it’s still special,” Rodgers said of Sunday’s victory. “It was a year of things we were close to, but we kind of let it get away from us in the middle of the season.”
What works
The offensive line. Rodgers was very complimentary of the five guys up front – Simpson, left tackle Olu Fashanu, center Joe Tippmann, right guard Alijah Vera-Tucker and right tackle Morgan Moses – after going 16 of 30 for 289 yards and three touchdowns. He was also only sacked once and rarely came under heavy pressure.
“The offensive line had an outstanding game and I had all day to throw,” Rodgers said. “A big congratulations to the adults.”
What needs help
Clock management. The defense bailed out Ulbrich, who opted to be aggressive and let the offense score the touchdown with 1:05 left rather than waste more time and force Jacksonville to use its timeouts. But Mac Jones took the Jaguars into Jets territory against a broken and shaky defense before Sauce Gardner got his first interception in two years to seal it.
“The way the game ended on Sunday is what we missed,” linebacker Jamien Sherwood said of the defense.
Store
Adams. The veteran receiver had been solid but unspectacular since being acquired from Las Vegas in October. But Adams was nearly unstoppable in the second half, when he caught nine passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns from Rodgers. This happened after he was two goals down in the first half.
Stock falling
WR Allen Lazard. He had no catches and two drops, including one that would have been a 30-yard touchdown, on four targets. In two games since returning from a chest injury that sidelined him for five games, Lazard has only one 18-yard reception with limited opportunities.
Injuries
Ulbrich said DT Quinnen Williams is being evaluated for a hamstring injury. “It’s a position that you can sometimes play with your hamstring,” Ulbrich said. “But we’ll see. We will not put Quinnen in danger at all and we will do what is right for him. … S Jalen Mills (clavicle) and CB Michael Carter II (lower back) were also examined. … CB DJ Reed is dealing with a groin injury that sidelined him Sunday.
Key number
135 — Adams’ receiving yards in the final four minutes Sunday, the most by any player in a game over that span this century, according to ESPN Research.
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What’s next
The Jets will host Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams (8-6) while looking to win back-to-back games for just the second time this season.
