Cal Sports Report

ESPN: Aaron Rodgers One of NFL’s Most Intriguing Players for 2024

Former Cal QB Rodgers included among seven players who ‘will define the next year’

Jake Curtis

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers
New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

Aaron Rodgers may be the most intriguing player in the NFL this year, because nobody knows exactly how effective he will be.  Can the 40-year-old former Cal star and current Jets quarterback regain the form he showed while winning the MVP four times after missing virtually of last season with a torn Achilles?

So it is not surprising that ESPN included Rodgers as one of 10 people in a report that carried the headline, “NFL’s most intriguing people: Who will define the next year?”

Seven of the 10 people are players, and ESPN adds this explanation regarding why these seven were selected:

They could be listed here because they are potential breakout players. They could be players with something to prove or a big contract situation on deck.

The seven players are Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud, Ravens running back Derrick Henry, Cardinals rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, and Rodgers.

Here is what ESPN said about Rodgers:

Ah, yes. This guy was on this list last year -- the clear-cut major story of the 2023 offseason whose first Jets season ended four plays in with a torn Achilles. He says he's back to full health, and the Jets loaded up in free agency to try to maximize their chances to win while they still have him. By the time this season ends, he'll be 41 years old -- an age at which exactly one quarterback in NFL history has played at a championship-caliber level. Can Rodgers be the second? Heck, can he make it to a second game this time?

There is no wider range of potential outcomes for any team in the league than there is for the Jets, who are all-in with the all-time roster construction Hail Mary. Either Rodgers leads them to postseason success or he and a whole bunch of other people in that building are likely to be out of there next offseason.

Follow Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53

Find Cal Sports Report on Facebook by going to https://www.facebook.com/si.calsportsreport

Published
Jake Curtis

JAKE CURTIS

Jake Curtis worked in the San Francisco Chronicle sports department for 27 years, covering virtually every sport, including numerous Final Fours, several college football national championship games, an NBA Finals, world championship boxing matches and a World Cup. He was a Cal beat writer for many of those years, and won awards for his feature stories.

Home/Football