Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff Writer September 13, 2023, 1:52 p.m. ET
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- Rich Cimini is a staff writer who covers the New York Jets and NFL for ESPN. Rich has covered the Jets for over 30 years and joined ESPN in 2010. Rich also hosts the Flight Deck podcast. He was previously a beat writer for the New York Daily News and is a graduate of Syracuse University. You can follow him on Twitter @RichCimini.
FLORHAM PARK, NJ – Until he makes a public statement, Aaron Rodgers’ future will spark months of speculation. New York Jets coach Robert Saleh, for example, said he didn’t think Rodgers was done after four games.
“I would be shocked if he acted like that,” Saleh said Wednesday.
The 39-year-old quarterback, the NFL’s oldest player, will undergo several months of grueling rehab after tearing his left Achilles tendon on his fourth snap of the season in Monday night’s win over the Buffalo Bills.
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Saleh said he hasn’t discussed the future with him, adding that Rodgers is “working through a whole lot of headspace things that he has to deal with and that will be the last thing I talk to him about.”
Rodgers still hasn’t scheduled his surgery, according to Saleh, who said the four-time MVP will be “consulted to figure out what his next best move is.”
Before the injury, Rodgers had mentioned several times that his goal was to play for the Jets for several years. He is signed through 2025 and is scheduled to receive $38 million in guarantees in 2024.
Meanwhile, the Jets prepare to face the Dallas Cowboys (1-0) with Zach Wilson as the starter and Tim Boyle as the backup. Saleh said they don’t feel any urgency to add another quarterback, even though Wilson and Boyle are the only two in the building. Boyle will be brought off the practice squad for Sunday’s away game.
At some point, the Jets hope Rodgers returns to the facility to help behind the scenes. Rodgers and Wilson have developed a close relationship in recent months, and coaches say that has helped Wilson – the No. 2 overall pick in 2021 – improve his game.
“I think that’s very important,” Saleh said of Rodgers on the team. “It’s important for him. For him, I think it’s mental health and healing. I think this is very important. But his presence, his words. … I said he’s both a football coach and a player. “Easy to have.” His presence, his thoughts, his words and his leadership, that’s what everyone would want.”
Wilson will not have Rodgers available as a tutor for the time being. The Jets are trying to rally around the quarterback who was benched twice last season and was demoted to third string at the end of the year.