Aaron Rodgers‘ ankle injury may have put him on the bench for the 2023 NFL season, but he doesn’t plan on staying there for long.
The New York Jets quarterback, 40, addressed whether this football season will be his “last dance” on the Tuesday, December 19, episode of “The Pat McAfee Show.” As for his answer, he told host Pat McAfee, “I don’t think so.”
Since joining the Jets earlier this year, Rodgers said he has developed “a renewed passion and love for the game,” adding, “Everything has been amazing here, just the people I’ve gotten to work with, the relationships I’ve gotten to form with my teammates, and the amazing men and women that work here.”
Rodgers previously played for the Green Bay Packers from 2005 to 2022. On Tuesday, the athlete noted he wanted “at least two years” with the Jets before deciding whether to call it quits. Having torn his Achilles at the start of the season in September, Rodgers said he feels like 2023 has been a “lost year” in his career.
“I don’t think next year will be my last year,” he stated. “With some of the things that I’ve learned over the last year and taking care of my body and surrounding myself with some great people who’ve been helping me with my nutrition and my functional training at a more acute level, I feel like I can play more years and I can be effective into my 40s, which is crazy because I thought that I’d probably be sitting on a couch somewhere at 40. But now, I want to be a starter at 40, I want to be a starter at 41, I want to see what I can get out of this body.”
For now, he’s focused on supporting his teammates from the sidelines. “I think the future is very bright in New Jersey for our guys, and we’ll finish out the season the right way,” Rodgers shared. “And it will be a long off-season, for sure, but I like the men that we have on the squad, I like the characters that we have, and we just got to add a couple pieces to it and the goals will still be the goals.”
Rodgers also gave an update on his recovery during the episode, noting that he is “progressing steadily.” He added: “If I was 100 percent today, I’d be definitely pushing to play. The fact is, I’m not.”
Back in September, Rodgers wrote that he was “completely heartbroken” over his injury via Instagram. “Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I begin the healing process today. 🙏 ♾️ ❤️,” he captioned pics from his first official game as the Jets’ QB. “The night is darkest before the dawn. And I shall rise yet again.”
The California native underwent surgery not long after and began his 21-day practice window on November 29. Coach Robert Saleh told reporters on Monday, December 18, that Rodgers “wants to play” and has been “working so hard to get back,” according to ESPN. The deadline for Rodgers’ practice window closes on Wednesday, December 20.
Saleh, 44, continued: “[Aaron’s] willingness to play, even if he’s not 100 percent, is at the forefront of his mind. He wants to go, but … until he’s actually cleared, I’m not going to talk about it with anybody.”
