Sometimes you can see the train coming.
With the Jets, that train wears No. 8, won’t be in any Pfizer commercials and is not afraid of the dark. Yes, Jets fans, the Aaron Rodgers train is coming, and how the franchise handles its arrival will be fascinating.
In a season full of some wild twists, the potential return of Rodgers as their quarterback in December feels like a twist written by Charles Dickens.
Coach Robert Saleh made it clear Wednesday the Jets won’t stand in Rodgers’ way if he is cleared by doctors and is ready to play.
“Aaron’s a big boy, a grown man,” Saleh said. “No one’s going to know Aaron’s body like Aaron knows his body. If he feels that after all the doctors clear him … if Aaron says he wants to play, he’s going to play.”
It should not be that simple, though. The Jets have some interesting calculus when it comes to a Rodgers return, starting with the standings.
Rodgers reiterated on Tuesday that the Jets “gotta be in the mix” for him to return. That could be tough to define in an AFC where there are currently eight teams that have either four or five wins. The Jets are in 13th place in the AFC right now, but only one game behind the Texans, who would get the last wild card if the playoffs started this week. So are the Jets in it or not?
It reminds me of the baseball trading deadline. The line between being a buyer or a seller is often in the eye of the beholder. Who can forget in 2004, when the Mets dealt top prospect Scott Kazmir to the Rays in exchange for Victor Zambrano when they were four games under .500 and seven games out of a playoff spot, but fooled themselves into believing they could contend down the stretch?
For the Jets, the question of whether they are “in the mix” could be a tough one. Let’s say that Rodgers is targeting a return for the Dec. 24 game against the Commanders. The Jets have five games before then. If they go 3-2, which is being generous, they would be 7-7 entering that Christmas Eve game. There likely will be a few teams still ahead of them in the race for the final playoff spot and they would probably have to win their final three games to finish 10-7 to make it.
If that is the situation, is it worth bringing back a 40-year-old quarterback from a torn Achilles faster than anyone in human history ever has? I think Rodgers will find a doctor to clear him, whether that is the Jets doctors, his surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache or Dr. Pepper. But the Jets need to consider more than just whether Rodgers is medically cleared.
This decision needs to be as much about 2024 as it is about 2023. The Jets have to weigh the risk of Rodgers reinjuring the Achilles, but how can they even know since he is coming back faster than anyone has?
The Jets also need to figure out whether they feel like a Super Bowl team with Rodgers. Making the playoffs should not be the goal. Winning the Super Bowl should be. Anything short of that is not worth the risk. Can Rodgers fix what is wrong with the Jets’ offense outside of the quarterback play? Can he fix an injured offensive line? Can he get wide receivers other than Garrett Wilson open?
The answer to those questions just might be yes. He’s that freaking good. But he also will be rusty after three months of rehab and, in the best-case scenario, three weeks to practice before playing.
You have to wonder if the Jets will even ask these questions if Rodgers says he wants to play. Saleh indicated they won’t, and I’m sure coaches, who generally don’t look past the next game, will want Rodgers on the field. Is there another adult in the organization who will say this is not a good idea? The Jets have not been able to tell Rodgers “No” since they began courting him in late February. That is why Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb were your No. 2 and 3 options at receiver entering the season.
Then, there is the cloud of the playoff drought hanging over the franchise. Rodgers was supposed to end the run without a playoff appearance. Now, it looks like it could get to 13 years. Is owner Woody Johnson desperate enough to end the drought that he would risk Rodgers’ 2024 status?
Rodgers could be the light at the end of this 2023 tunnel for the Jets, or maybe he is just the train barreling right toward them.