While Aaron Rodgers confirmed he will not make a miraculous return in 2023, the future Hall-of-Famer is open to the idea of playing for the New York Jets well into his 40s.
For months, there was hope that if the Jets could stay in the AFC playoff hunt late in the season, Aaron Rodgers would be able to return and help them reach the postseason. However, after an embarrassing loss to the Dolphins in Week 15, the team was officially eliminated from the chase.
During his weekly appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” the four-time NFL MVP confirmed that the results from Sunday helped make the final decision to bring his 2023 season to an official end. While being eliminated from the playoffs is key, the 40-year-old admitted that he is still not fully recovered and there is no real reason to continue to rush his rehab.
“There’s always a fear about re-rupture if you’re going too fast,” Rodgers said. “But this allows me to — I’m not going to slow my rehab down. I’m going to keep attacking it every single day, but now, without a timetable to come back, obviously, we can be as smart as we need to be.”
Aaron Rodgers suggests playing for the New York Jets passed age 41
However, Rodgers — who was very close to retiring this past offseason — left the door wide open for his return in 2024 being just the first of several seasons for Gang Green in the years ahead.
“I feel like I can play more years and I can be effective into my 40s, which is crazy,” he said. “I thought that I’d probably be sitting on the couch somewhere at 40, but now I want to be a starter at 40. I want to be a starter at 41. I want to see what I can get out of this body.”
Related: New York Jets embarrassing loss assures Aaron Rodgers wont return this season
It will be interesting to see how the New York Jets approach this year’s draft with Zach Wilson not being a viable option at all once Rodgers does call it a career in the coming years.