The New York Jets are on bye this week, but the drama swirling inside the troubled organization hasn’t taken a break.
Aaron Rodgers, who has been described as “banged up” for the past few months, has reportedly been resisting medical scans offered by the Jets. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Rodgers hasn’t wanted to “reveal the severity of his injuries out of fear of having to come off the field.”
“Banged up” is a roundabout term that’s used when a player is dealing with multiple injuries, which Rodgers is. But now the continuing lack of detail about his injuries makes more sense; the Jets don’t know what’s going on with Rodgers because he won’t allow them to know. At this point, it’s not clear if Rodgers even knows the specifics of his injuries.
It’s possible that these injuries of unknown severity are what’s preventing him from playing better. The 40-year-old is coming off an achilles injury that took him out just four snaps into the 2023 season, and since coming back he’s been a magnet for leg-related injuries. He said his knee was a bit swollen after the Jets’ Week 4 loss to the Denver Broncos, but according to Rapoport, Rodgers also sustained a “significant” hamstring injury that he insisted on playing through. A week later he sustained a low ankle sprain against the Minnesota Vikings. Then in Week 7, Rodgers’ hamstring issue flared up again. He has played through all of these injuries
With just six games left in the season and the Jets committing to a rebuild after firing their head coach and GM, Rodgers’ resistance to team medical treatment may be connected with his desire to play in 2025. If he sits or is put on injured reserve, he has no chance to show any improvement or prove to at least one GM or owner that he’s got enough left in the tank as a (soon-to-be) 41-year-old to lead a team to glory.
Playing through multiple injuries may not be the best way for Rodgers to accomplish that, but if he wants to suit up as a starting quarterback in 2025, he may decide it’s his only option.