Aaron Rodgers still has it.
The 40-year-old made a comeback on Thursday night, carving up the New England Patriots’ defense to lead the New York Jets to a 24-3 victory. Rodgers completed 27 of 35 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns.
Rodgers’ stat line didn’t tell the whole story, however.
New England had trouble getting to Rodgers all night, pressuring him regularly, but saw the 20-year NFL veteran use his legs to get out of danger and beat an open man on the run. The passes were good. Spreading the wealth looked easy. It felt like we were watching old Rodgers.
There’s a lot of football left to be played, but if Rodgers can repeat Thursday’s performance every two weeks—at least—he’ll put together one hell of a season.
And it should be his last if that’s the case.
Like it or not, Rodgers has nothing left to prove. He is a four-time MVP. He has a Super Bowl ring on his finger. He has established himself as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.
Rodgers’ 2023 campaign was cut short when he tore his left Achilles after taking just four snaps in New York’s season opener against the Buffalo Bills. Now here she is, at 40 years old, looking as spry as ever.
Watching Rodgers put together a strong season and potentially lead the Jets to the playoffs—or better yet, the championship—on the heels of a season-ending Achilles injury before riding off into the sunset is a great ending.
New York is not, and should not be, the favorite to go all the way by any means, but we should get Rodgers at least one playoff game.
Let’s say Rodgers has his season for years, then chooses to continue playing. How can you climb from there? You don’t do it. If we’re lucky in that scenario, Rodgers doesn’t show all that much regression in 2025 and just falls by the wayside, eventually hanging up the cleats in a year or two.
But Father Time is invincible. And something tells us that the 41-year-old Rodgers would be an excellent match for him. The injury could end Rodgers’ career for good, or we could see a shell of the man who once threw 48 touchdowns against only five in one season.
I don’t know about you, but that’s not how I want to remember one of the most talented callers of this generation.
Granted, this is all very easy for me to say, sitting in front of my laptop, typing, something I can do until I’m 85. Writing has a long shelf life. There are many jobs to be done. Football does not. So, I think it’s very hard to walk away from it when you’re still successful.
However, if an opportunity to get out presents itself, you might as well take it.