Star quarterback Aaron Rodgers has played many preseason games during his early days in the NFL. However, the veteran player hasn’t appeared in the pre-seasons since 2018. Now, reports suggest that Rodgers will play the preseason match after 5 years. Fans were confused by this decision, but Jets’ head coach Robert Saleh has revealed the reason.
Saleh, in a recent press conference, addressed the news of Rodgers playing a preseason game against the New York Giants. He mentioned that the team doesn’t want the quarterback to play in the regular season directly. He revealed though he’s experienced, they still want to see how Aaron Rodgers performs in the game.
“Ultimately, he’ll have his thoughts, too, but for us as an organization, he’s new. I know he’s been in the league a very long time, but we just didn’t want Sept. 11 to be the first time that he stepped into MetLife Stadium,” he said. (Via: New York Post)
Saleh clearly stated that he doesn’t want their 1st regular season game against the Buffalo Bills to be Rodgers’ first in their jersey. As per reports, the coach wants Aaron Rodgers and other Jets players to be accustomed to each other. He further mentioned that he “can’t coach scared” thinking that the star player might get injured in the preseason.
“No. You can’t coach scared… You can always play the hindsight game or the fearful game. But what’s in the best interest of our team is to go out there and play some football together, and prepare ourselves the best way we can for Sept. 11,” he said.
Aaron Rodgers hasn’t played in the past three games of the Jets this preseason. He analyzed backup Zach Wilson‘s play, and now it’s time for him to get into action.
A look at the NFL career of Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers has been delivering stellar performances ever since his debut with the Green Bay Packers in 2005. The team selected him as the 24th pick overall during the NFL draft. Rodgers signed a 5-year contract with the Packers in his rookie year worth $7.7 million. His performance was not up to the mark in his first 2-3 seasons.
However, in 2008, his life changed as Brett Favre retired. Aaron Rodgers took no time to prove his worth and showed everyone that he’s among the best quarterbacks. The NFL star stayed with the Packers for 17 years before signing with the Jets this year. He even won a Super Bowl with the Packers against the Pittsburgh Steelers in February 2011.
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Throughout his career, Rodgers has been nothing less than spectacular. The star quarterback has made 7660 passing attempts out of which 5001 have been successful. He has recorded 475 touchdowns and 105 interceptions till now. Aaron Rodgers has 59055 passing yards with a passer rating of 103.6.
Aaron Rodgers has surely proved his worth in the game while playing for the Packers. Now, the New York Jets must be expecting the same performance from him this NFL season.