Unfortunately, we all saw what happened at the beginning of last season with New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Fans went from flying high as Rodgers epically ran out of the tunnel with an American flag, to down in the doldrums just a mere four plays later.
But Rodgers insists he’s healthy now, and ready for action after suffering a torn Achilles. But is he? New video from Jets organized team activities (OTAs) have people wondering.
Take a watch, all the way to the end.
Is Aaron Rodgers healthy?
Let’s break down the video. Understand, I’m not a doctor.
The video shows Rodgers sitting down to check out his skis. Concerningly, he takes his sock off and takes a look at the back of his ankle. As in, at the area of the Achilles. As in, the major, season-ending injury he suffered last season.
But realistically, that could be anything. After calming down a little bit, I realized that’s the exact move you pull when you get a fresh pair of boots and you’re checking out that brand-spanking-new blister on your heel. Heck, he could have had something stuck in his sock.
But then a trainer comes over. Uh oh. It looks to me like the trainer and Rodgers are getting some gauze on the situation, which again could be a blister.
The truly concerning part of the video is Rodgers’ mobility. It looks Rodgers is limping or favoring the same leg that was worked on. Again, if you’ve ever laced up a new pair of kangaroo leather, you know there’s a break-in period. But what if it’s not a blister?
Related: Ranking Aaron Rodgers among NFL starting quarterbacks
New York Jets’ make or break 2024 season
After last year’s disaster, the Jets have made a few moves in the off-season to try to bolster some weaknesses. Zach Wilson, the poor kid, is gone. Dalvin Cook’s short time in Jersey is up, too.
But they got stronger in some places. They signed eight-time Pro Bowl left tackle Tyron Smith away from the Cowboys.
In really big news, they got Aaron Rodgers another serious weapon in Mike Williams, formerly of the Los Angeles Chargers.
Williams has missed a few games in the last five seasons, but when healthy he is truly a weapon. In the same span, he’s also had two 1,000-yard seasons and a 900-yard season. Lining up opposite of the uber talented Garrett Wilson should be an upgrade over Alan Lazard.
In the fourth-round of the NFL Draft, the Jets drafted Wisconsin running back Braelon Allen, who can help take some of the load off the excellent Breece Hall. Allen was a monster at Wisconsin, rushing for 3,000 yards in three seasons and racking up 35 touchdowns. He has had over five yards per carry his entire college career.
The Jets also replaced their left guard with John Simpson, and signed a whole smattering of defensive players for depth.
As a football fan, here’s to hoping Rodgers is just dealing with a blister. Fans deserve to see some high-flying Jets for a change.