Was No Preseason for Aaron Rodgers the Right Move by New York Jets?

With the preseason finishing up, was the decision to sit Aaron Rodgers the right move by the New York Jets?

East Rutherford, NJ -- August 10, 2024 -- Aaron Rodgers at the end of the game as the Washington Commanders came to MetLife Stadium to play the New York Jets in the first preseason game of the 2024 season. The Jets topped the Commanders 20-17. / Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

The New York Jets will be finishing up their preseason against the New York Giants on Saturday night. However, like in the first two games, we will not be seeing Aaron Rodgers on the field. 

Coming into the preseason, there was a lot of speculation about what the plan for the Jets would be with Rodgers. Last year, Rodgers went down with an Achillies tear just four plays into the year for New York, and the season basically ended right there. 

While there was some hope that Rodgers might return last season if the Jets went on some magical run to the playoffs, he was officially shutdown toward the end of the season when New York was out of playoff contention. 

The good news for the Jets and Rodgers is that he is now almost a year removed from surgery and has been practicing with the team for the entire summer. However, New York made the decision to keep Rodgers out of the first two preseason games, and they have elected not to play him against the Giants as well. 

This decision by the Jets is a smart one for a few reasons. At 40-years-old, Rodgers shouldn’t need to much game action as the preseason provides for players. He has had plenty of reps in the NFL to know what to expect. 

Furthermore, Rodgers has also been playing in a lot of joint practices and scrimmages, as we recently saw him perform very well against the Giants. 

As we saw last season, the risk of playing Rodgers far outweighs the reward. With the preseason being so short and most teams resting players anyway, the first couple games of the NFL season generally isn’t the cleanest of football. 

Risking Rodgers to another injury in the preseason just simply was never going to be allowed to happen after last season. 

Now, while the Jets have protected Rodgers nicely this summer, they will have to do that on the field as well in Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers will be bringing a talented defense and front seven to play against Rodgers, as he will likely be tested early on in that game. 

New York will be hoping that the 2024 season is the year they finally snap their playoff drought and to do so, they need a healthy Rodgers. While he might not be as crisp as if he played a few drives in the preseason, the Jets have protected his health, which is far more important.