Jets QB Aaron Rodgers unlikely to play this preseason as he returns from torn Achilles

The only real highlight we have of Aaron Rodgers in a New York Jets uniform came in the preseason, on a nice touchdown pass to Garrett Wilson.

It definitely didn’t come in the regular season, when Rodgers lasted only four plays before he tore his Achilles tendon. He missed the rest of the season.

Rodgers might miss this preseason too. Jets coach Robert Saleh said Rodgers won’t play in the first two preseason games and they will discuss if he’ll play at all in the third and final preseason game. The Jets could decide to get him some snaps in that game, but it sounds like Saleh’s preference is for him to not play at all this preseason.

“My instinct is no, but I want to leave it open,” Saleh told the New York media. “That third game is what we’re deciding.”

That would mean we’ll have to wait a bit longer for Rodgers’ next highlight, after a brief tease last preseason. Rodgers played in one preseason game, completed 5-of-8 passes for 48 yards including the touchdown to Wilson.

Rodgers still hasn’t completed a regular season pass for the Jets, which is why the decision on whether he’ll play this preseason is an interesting one. The Jets don’t want to expose Rodgers in a game that doesn’t count, after what happened last season. But it’s also a bit risky to have Rodgers take his first snaps since last September against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 1. Rodgers hasn’t completed a pass in a game that counted since Jan. 8, 2023. Then again, maybe a few snaps in the preseason don’t matter all that much for a four-time MVP.

We’ll see if Rodgers can or even wants to talk his way into the lineup for the final preseason game. If not, his 2024 regular-season opener becomes even more of a curiosity.