Just days before his 20th NFL season and nearly a year since tearing his Achilles, the Jets quarterback spoke excitedly Thursday about Monday night's season opener against the 49ers.
“I'm very proud of my performance,” Rodgers said. “When I step on the field, I expect great things because I've done things like this before and that's kind of the standard I set for myself.”
That's what the Jets are hoping for. The team has been waiting to see Rodgers be great for a while now. The Jets acquired Rodgers in a trade with the Packers in April 2023. Expectations were high going into last season, but they plummeted when Rodgers snapped his left Achilles tendon on the fourth play of the season opener against the Bills.
Rodgers attempted to return in December but was ruled out for the entire 2023 season. Now the Jets are hoping to finally see what the four-time MVP can bring to the team, and Rodgers joked Thursday that he might have a little joy when the fifth snap of Monday's game comes around.
“I mean, after the fourth time, you might grin a little bit. [snap]”I don't know. We'll see,” Rogers said.
The Jets have high expectations this season. They consider themselves Super Bowl contenders, and that's mostly because of Rodgers. The 40-year-old had a great training camp, but now they'll have to face a raw defense. The 49ers are the defending NFC champions and are expected to be one of the best teams in football again.
Rodgers said he learned a lesson from former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy about how hard it is to deal with success.
“I think what he was trying to say is you get too excited and then after a tough game your whole world falls apart,” Rodgers said. “No matter what happens on Monday, if we win, the headline will be the usual Jets going to the Super Bowl and losing, so I think we need to step away from all that outside talk and trust our team.”
Rodgers sent a similar message late last year after the Jets went 7-10 with a trio of backup quarterbacks — Zach Wilson, Tim Boyle and Trevor Simian. Rodgers told the Jets to “forget the bullshit” but made headlines during the offseason after being reported as a vice presidential candidate and missing the team's mandatory minicamp for a trip to Egypt.
Those offseason storylines are now a thing of the past, and Rodgers' teammates and coaching staff have had nothing but praise for him this summer.
“He's an unbelievable teammate,” Jets coach Robert Saleh said. “The guys in the locker room love him. They all look up to him and they look to him for advice. I noticed that the other day. I texted him. It's really interesting the way he interacts with the defensive line. The way he interacts with everybody. He's a great teammate. I think his leadership has been invaluable to our team.”
Saleh spoke about Rodgers' ability to throw the ball this summer as well as his movement skills.
“I think he's in great shape, not just mentally but physically. He's great,” Saleh said. “He's not a 40-year-old quarterback. He's going to be fine.”
Rodgers has long been focused on proving his critics wrong, and now he has a chance to do something unprecedented, returning from a torn Achilles to play quarterback at age 40.
“I've always played with something on my shoulders,” Rodgers said. “Sometimes you have to create something. But yeah, I mean, it comes back to proving things. Who do I have to prove? Just myself at this point.”
When asked if the Super Bowl was the goal this season, Rodgers replied “for sure,” before sending another message to his teammates to stay consistent.
“We can't be swept away by the waves of these emotions, frustrations, outside voices,” he said. “We have to keep this situation under control, we have to make sure there are no leaks, no dropouts, we have to realise it's going to be a long season.”
