To say Aaron Rodgers is ready for the 2024 season would be an understatement.
Rodgers’ first season with the New York Jets lasted four plays before a ruptured Achilles sidelined him for the year. The future Hall of Fame quarterback tried to get back by the end of the year, but decided to reset for 2024.
The Jets report to training camp July 23. Rodgers will be ready.
“My Achilles feels good, you know, I felt really good at the end of last year,” Rodgers said, via NBC Sports. “Then you know, there’s always that kind of plateau part. It’s just about getting back into it. I felt good.”
Rodgers also addressed his trip to Egypt, which happened during mandatory minicamp and was the subject of controversy in June. That seems to be by the wayside now.
“Had a bautiful trip to Egypt,” Rodgers said. “This is like the last marker. Summer’s over on Sunday. Walking up on 18 (18th hole at American Century Championship) is super bittersweet, but it’s fun to be out.”
Rodgers had an unexcused absence from the first practice of Jets mandatory minicamp because of an event that’s important to him, of which he did inform the team. The Jets announcing the absence was unexcused started the controversy about where Rodgers was. It was later revealed that he was on vacation in Egypt that week.
There’s plenty to prove in 2024 for Rodgers, who is attempting to show he can still play at a high level one year after a severe injury. The only 40-year-old (not including kickers/punters) with that long of a layoff between games since 1970 was Steve DeBerg (1,750).
The Jets also have the NFL’s longest active playoff drought at 13 seasons and haven’t advanced to a Super Bowl since winning Super Bowl III in the 1968 season. Rodgers wants to bring a championship to New York, which begins in less than two weeks.
