Coach Aaron Rodgers believes he and the Jets will “continue to rise” after Monday night's season-opening loss on the road to the 49ers.
But the four-time NFL MVP had a stern message Tuesday to pessimistic fans ready to give up on Gang Green after his first game back from Achilles surgery in 2023.
“I think the message has always been, generally, if you win, you go to the Super Bowl, if you lose, you suck,” Rodgers said Tuesday on his weekly pay-per-view appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.” “We love it, we love their passion, but there’s a reason for the 17-game season.
“We didn't play well enough. [Monday] “It's night. No excuses. But come along for the ride. If you want to jump off now, jump off. But don't come back.”
Rodgers also reiterated what he said after the game: he feels fine. Wednesday marked exactly one year since his season-ending injury, which he suffered on the fourth play of his Jets debut on Sept. 11. Rodgers completed 13 of 21 passes for 167 yards, one touchdown and one interception in the 32-19 loss to the Niners.
“Honestly, I'm just grateful to be back and be able to play,” added Rodgers, 40. “It's been a long journey. I remember everything that's happened over the last year.” [Wednesday] It's been a year since my injury, and my life has changed a lot in that time.
“So I just felt this overwhelming feeling of gratitude. I was on the bus. I was texting some people. [former teammates] Randall Cobb and A.J. [Hawk]as well. But there was a lot going on over me with my 20th season, the rehab that happened, the ups and downs of last year. And then Anthem came over me and I just had such a sense of calm. All the anxiety about getting hit and staying healthy just disappeared from my body and I went out on the field and came back with a sense of security. So it was good.”
Rodgers added that he'll be “more comfortable” in the coming weeks when the Jets play on the road against the Titans in Week 2, “and there will be more scrambles.”
“I'm 100 percent confident. Maybe I can just work a little bit harder each week,” Rodgers said. “I felt good, my body felt good, my arm felt good. Of course it's disappointing. It would have been pretty special to come back and win on the road against a Super Bowl finalist, but they're a really good team.”
Rodgers also addressed a two-second video that circulated on social media during the game in which Rodgers appeared to look the other way, ignoring offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. However, the video was edited to not show Rodgers immediately turning to Hackett, who was Rodgers' operating officer in Green Bay from 2019-2021.
“So it's a question of appearance versus reality. You can make up whatever you think based on appearance,” Rogers said. “As I look at it, I [backup quarterback] Tie Rod [Taylor]The person sitting to my left, and the Surface one [tablets] I'm on my knees. And then I talk to Tyrod and then I go back to the surface. This is normal, this is sideline stuff, and you can hear the conversation from all angles.
“But yeah, Huck and I, it's great. We felt like we had a good plan. We just didn't execute it very well. But yeah, I felt like the calls were good. The communication was good. The communication on the sideline was good. So yeah, everything's good.”
