Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers will play in his 248th career game Sunday against the Dolphins. The question is whether it will be his last.
Rodgers, 41, was asked on Wednesday whether he had considered the possibility that this would be his last game.
“Yeah, absolutely,” Rodgers said.
Rodgers said he will take some time after the season to clear his head and relax before deciding whether to play his 21st season in the NFL. But he knows the chances of him returning to the Jets next year are looking increasingly unlikely.
The team is looking to hire a new general manager and head coach.
The Jets are coming off a miserable 4-12 season in which a lot of things went wrong, including Rodgers.
It seems much more likely that the Jets would want a fresh start at quarterback next year than bring Rodgers back.
Rodgers was asked how he feels about his past two seasons with the Jets.
“Honestly, I just want to say thank you. It's been the best two years of my life,” Rodgers said. “It's a perspective adjustment that happened at some point during the rehab process last year. Just excited, getting back into the game, getting to know the guys here, the great men and women who work here. It was a lot of fun. Obviously, we didn't live up to expectations on the field. This game is about relationships.”
When asked if it sounds like Rodgers is leaning toward retirement, Rodgers said that's not the case, but that he knows a return to the Jets may be unlikely.
“I've become even more resigned to the reality of the situation. Change is going to happen here,” he said. “If I’m part of the change, I just want everyone to know that I have nothing but gratitude for my time here.
“I'm disappointed in the performance myself and as a team, but I'm really grateful for the opportunity. If I come back feeling good and they want to run with this again, I'm really grateful for the opportunity. That's great if you think so, but I'm not naive about the current situation.”
Rodgers has repeatedly said after the season that he wants to take time to rest his body and mind before deciding whether to continue playing.
On Wednesday, he joked about the process he would take if faced with a similar decision in 2022.
“It could be dark again. No, I think it's over,” Rogers said. “We will not be doing a dark retreat this offseason.”
Rodgers said he doesn't think it will be long before the Jets' new leaders make a decision on his future with the team, noting free agency begins in March.
“I don't think we'll get that far,” Rogers said. “There's going to be a change of government, at least with GM. Whatever they end up doing, I'm sure I'll get a call or have a conversation and start from there.”
Rodgers said he felt like he couldn't rest in the offseason because he was rehabbing from a torn Achilles tendon he suffered in the first game of the 2023 season. Therefore, I had to continue rehabilitation and training without taking a break for a long time.
He compared it to his rookie season, when a player joins the team from the college season through combine workouts.
“Mentally I need a break,” Rodgers said. “I don't want to make a decision until I'm mentally and physically rested, because I feel like I've been rehabbing and training since September 11 of last year just to be able to play in training camp. And then the first few… The games were nerve-wracking and then I was so flustered and it was just trying to get back on the field refreshed for weeks until I felt really good for the last three or four games and then I was just trying to get my feet in the sand after that. I just need a mental break to see how I’m doing.”
Rodgers said he wouldn't take it personally if the Jets didn't want him back.
“If I want to play and they don't want me here, I'll see if there are other options,” Rodgers said. “First of all, I have to brace myself for another grind.”
