No Rest Planned for New York Jets Superstar, Just 'Fountain of Youth'

Even though this New York Jets superstar is banged up, there are no plans to give him some rest to try and heal up.

Oct 27, 2024; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) warms up before the start of the game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. / David Butler II-Imagn Images

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers calls weeks like this “… tough on the body but good on the mind.” And a little cayenne pepper doesn’t hurt.

The Jets (2-6) are set to host the Houston Texans (6-2) on Thursday night at MetLife Stadium. It’s a difficult turnaround under any circumstance. But for the 40-year-old four-time MVP, the wear and tear of the season is catching up with him.

Rodgers is on the injury report with knee and hamstring injuries. He also suffered an ankle injury earlier this season. While the 10 days of rest after Thursday’s game will help, these are the types of injuries that are likely to linger all season.

New York interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich was asked on Tuesday if he had considered sitting Rodgers for a couple of weeks to give him time to rest and heal. That would mean elevating backup Tyrod Taylor to start for a game or two. Ulbrich said he hasn’t considered it.

After Sunday’s loss to New England, Patriots defender Davon Godchaux said to reporters that Rodgers was “not mobile at all” in the pocket. Ulbrich acknowledged he had heard the comment.

The veteran has never been a huge threat to run, but he’s always had great presence in the pocket and the ability to move up the field when he feels pressure to extend plays. As the injuries have piled up, that hasn’t been the case.

It’s not a problem he can solve in one week. But he told reporters on Tuesday that he found a “fountain of youth,” courtesy of the team’s punter, Thomas Morstead.

That fountain of youth is cayenne pepper and bottled water.

According to the Cleveland Clinic cayenne pepper can have several health benefits. Among them is pain relief. Rodgers said he’s been “gassing up” with the concoction in an effort to get ready for Thursday.

With Rodgers being less mobile than usual, he’ll have to rely on his offensive line to keep him insulated against a productive Texans pass rush. Defensive end Will Anderson Jr. has 7.5 sacks to lead the team, while defensive end Danielle Hunter has 5.5 sacks. Defensive tackle Tim Settle Jr. has four.

Houston has 27 sacks as a team and Rodgers has been sacked 18 times this season.

One thing that helps is the Jets have already done the short week schedule once this season, as they played New England on Thursday in Week 3 after a Sunday game with Tennessee in Week 2.

"I think Thursday night as tough as it is on the body it's good on the mind, because you can just move on,” Rodgers said. “So Brick (Ulbrich) did a good job of kind of cleaning everything up and then moving on. We hate these games because they’re a short week but we love them because the weekend. They feel a lot better when you win.”