Aaron Rodgers is expected to change the fortunes of the New York Jets.
However, he has not been able to make any impact with the franchise since signing a two-year, $75 million deal before the 2023 season.
Rodgers, who turns 41 on Dec. 2, suffered a season-ending torn Achilles after playing just four snaps in last year’s opener.
Now, Rodgers skipped the team’s mandatory minicamp this week, which will cost him more than $50,000 for the unexcused absences.
“Aaron and I spoke before OTAs started,” Jets coach Robert Saleh said at his first mandatory minicamp press conference. “He’s been very good in communication—he’s been here the entire time. It’s unexcused but he had an event that was very important to him which he communicated.”
Rodgers’s absence at the mandatory minicamp has been an aberration because he participated in the voluntary workouts over the past two offseasons, including three weeks of OTA practices this spring.
The Jets are banking on Rodgers to help change their fortunes.
The team has not made the playoffs in the past 13 seasons, the longest postseason drought in the NFL. The Jets have not won a Super Bowl since 1969 and have not won the AFC East since 2002.
Rodgers has the pedigree to turn the Jets into a winner if he can stay healthy. The Green Bay Packers drafted him with the 24th overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft from the University of California at Berkeley.
However, he spent the first three seasons watching from the bench behind the starter Brett Favre, who was an 11-time Pro Bowler, three-time MVP, and Super Bowl champion.
Rodgers took the reigns in 2008 when Favre was traded to the Jets. From there, Rodgers led the Packers to a victory in Super Bowl XLV and he won four MVP awards.
Rodgers holds numerous NFL records, including all-time career leader in passer rating, most consecutive seasons with a passer rating over 100, best touchdown-to-interception ratio, and 402 consecutive passes without an interception.
Over his career, Rodgers has thrown for 59,055 yards with 475 touchdowns and 105 interceptions.
“I’m not here to be a savior of any kind. I’m just here to be the best quarterback I can be, to lead authentically, and to inspire the guys around me to raise their level of play to an even greater spot,” Rodgers said at his introductory press conference. “There’s something special about playing in a city for a team like this with a storied franchise, and obviously, going way way back to Super Bowl III—to be a part of something special would definitely help you down in the history of an organization.
“I already have 18 years in an incredibly iconic organization, and it’d be fun to be a part of the history of this one as well.”
With Rodgers not participating, veteran backup Tyrod Taylor will take most of the snaps with the first-team offense in mandatory minicamp. Taylor Taylor was selected in the sixth round with the 180th overall pick by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2011 NFL draft and has played for six other teams over his NFL career.
Taylor has thrown for 12,135 yards with 65 touchdowns and 29 interceptions over 92 career games.
“This is a great opportunity too for Tyrod to get reps with the 1s over the next couple of days,” Saleh said. “But as far as Aaron, he’s been in the league for a while. He’s played at a very high level. I think it will be more beneficial for Tyrod than a loss for Aaron.”
In addition to Rodgers, the Jets have some challenges on the defensive side of the ball as newly signed defensive end Haason Reddick also skipped the mandatory minicamp. Reddick was acquired from the Eagles this offseason for a 2026 third-round pick that can become a second-round pick if he plays 67.5 percent of the snaps this season and has at least 10 sacks.
Reddick also did not participate in the team’s voluntary off-season program because he wants a new contract. He has already forfeited a $250,000 workout bonus.
“I spoke to [Reddick] over the weekend,” Saleh said. “I appreciate the dialogue. He’s in a really good place mentally, working his tail off like we already know. But he’s choosing to sit out this one unexcused.”
Reddick, who was drafted No. 13 overall, by the Cardinals in 2016, is coming off a dominant 2023–24 season where he finished with 11 sacks for the Eagles. He also had 38 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and 23 QB hits.
Reddick has been named to the Pro Bowl each of the last two seasons. He led the league with 5 forced fumbles in the 2022-23 season.
Reddick has 6.5 sacks in his first three seasons in Arizona, In 2020, he had a breakout performance with 12.5 sacks, 16 quarterback hits, six forced fumbles, and 15 tackles for loss. He signed with the Panthers in 2021 when he had 11 sacks before signing with the Eagles.
Over the past four seasons, Reddick has 51 sacks—fourth-most in the NFL behind Cincinnati’s Trey Hendrickson (53), Cleveland’s Myles Garrett (58) and Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt (62). Reddick is also one of seven NFL defenders in the past 10 seasons with a streak of at least four seasons of 10-plus sacks.
The Jets can now hope he can match that production when and if he eventually shows up to play.
