The heat is on New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers is looking to turn the page from a disastrous 2023 campaign that ended after just four snaps when he ruptured his Achilles tendon in the regular season opener against the Buffalo Bills, casting a pall over the Jets’ season.
Even with a Super Bowl ring on his finger four NFL MVP awards on his resumè and one of the most explosive young supporting casts of offensive weapons in the league, Rodgers faces mounting pressure as the 2024 season nears.
CBS Sports’ Jordan Dajangi suggests only three AFC quarterbacks face more pressure within the conference this season than Rodgers does.
“Now 40 years old, the questions remain,” Dajangi writes for CBS. “Whether Rodgers can stay healthy and take the Jets where they want to go. He’s got two things going for him: One is an improved offensive line, an underrated stable of weapons headlined by Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall, and then one of the best defenses in the NFL loaded with talent at all three levels.
“Secondly, Rodgers clearly has this superpower where he’s able to rise up and make all of his doubters look silly. Remember, he won two straight MVPs when the Green Bay Packers decided to invest important draft capital at the quarterback position with the selection of Jordan Love. Doubt Rodgers at your own peril, but he’s under pressure to be the Jets’ savior.”
Beyond returning from injury, Rodgers also must prove that his 2022 campaign in which he passed for just 3,695 yards with 26 touchdowns and 12 interceptions — the second-highest of his career, was more of an unfortunate outlier than a predictor of what lies ahead in his future.
The Jets are betting big on Rodgers and the offense pulling its weight opposite an elite defense and making a legitimate postseason run. It remains to be seen if the venerable quarterback is up to the challenge.
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