Aaron Rodgers' recent form at the New York Jets' practice has sparked worry about whether the 40-year-old's performance is up to scratch as the 2024 NFL season approaches.
Things took a turn for the worse at the end of Monday's session when safety Tony Adams intercepted Rodgers, highlighting how the top quarterback seems out of tune with his teammates. The veteran mistimed his moves, often not connecting with his receivers.
To paint a clearer picture of the concern, Rodgers reportedly made only 11 completions out of 27 attempts at one point and had a streak of five missed passes in a row, according to the New York Post. Additionally, Rodgers hasn't played in any of the Jets' preseason matches, though they secured victories against both the Carolina Panthers and the Washington Commanders.
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Jets' head coach Robert Saleh is attributing the offensive line's poor form to the challenge of facing an exceptional defense rather than a lack of practice time between Rodgers and his receivers. "There's a top-five defense on the other side," Saleh remarked, as reported by the New York Post.
Nonetheless, Saleh admitted that fatigue might have impacted the team's overall performance, noting that it took some time for them to gain momentum. "Took the guys a little bit to get going," he added.
"But I still thought it was a good, competitive practice. Guys were communicating, they were executing the way we need them to, but their legs were a little heavy, you can say that."
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Concerns mount as Rodgers struggles to gel with his receivers, putting his starting spot for the Jets' final preseason game against the Giants in jeopardy. Saleh remains undecided about whether the former Super Bowl MVP will take the field following a practice performance that left much to be desired and an Achilles injury that benched him early last season.
"I haven't. Not yet. We'll talk about it later," Saleh told the press, with plans to involve Rodgers alongside the coordinators and GM Joe Douglas in discussions to determine what's best for the team.
Earlier in the preseason, Saleh's stance was similar: "We haven't really talked about it. My instinct right now as I stand here is we'll see. ... My instinct is no, but I want to leave it open. That third game is the one where we're deciding. He definitely won't play in the first two, but the discussion on the third one we haven't quite had yet," he remarked, emphasising the value of practices that are akin to actual games.
"The only difference is you're not tackling. And so we feel comfortable that we're getting the reps we need, the game-like reps we need in a controlled environment."
Moreover, Rodgers' commitment has been in question since he skipped the Jets' mandatory minicamp for a trip to Egypt. Upon return, attempts to kickstart synergy were met with frustration and outbursts from the 40-year-old quarterback.
Speaking to the press, Rodgers clarified his choice to visit Egypt rather than join team activities, citing a clash in schedules for missing minicamp. He elaborated, "I originally scheduled it based on the previous year's [practice] schedule," adding, "[It] had us out, I believe, by the 9th or 10th. So once I saw the [new] schedule, I was trying to move some things around. It just didn't happen."