After missing most of the 2023 season due to injury, Aaron Rodgers has already made it pretty clear that he plans to be back on the field in 2024.
So what’s his plan after the upcoming season? If Rodgers get his way, it sounds like he’s going to stick around with the New York Jets for a few more seasons. The four-time MVP is now hoping to follow in Tom Brady’s footsteps and possibly play until his mid-40s.
Rodgers revealed his new retirement timeline during a recent interview on the “Look Into It Podcast with Eddie Bravo.” The subject came up during a conversation about how Rodgers’ injured Achilles was holding up.
I got back on the practice field late in the season and couldn’t get to a top speed sprinting, but really been in a good place rehab-wise, from the start, and feeling really good,” Rodgers told Bravo. “I’m hopeful I can play two or three or four more years, but you need to have some good fortune in there to.”
During an interview in December, Rodgers had mentioned that he was aiming to play for two more seasons, but he had never mentioned the possibility of playing for up to FOUR more seasons. If Rodgers makes it that long, that means he’d be playing through the 2027 season. If that happens, the Jets quarterback would be 43 at the start of the year with his 44th birthday coming in December 2027.
Of course, Rodgers is well aware that he might not make it that long, which is probably why he mentioned that he’ll need some “good fortune” if he wants to play another four seasons. Not only does he need to stay injury-free, but he also needs to prove that he can still play at a high level.
With the 40-year-old coming off a season where he tore his Achilles, no one can predict how Rodgers will play going forward. There’s no guarantee he’ll return to his MVP form, but if he does, then the Jets will have a serious chance to end their 13-year drought without a playoff appearance, which is not only the longest active drought in the NFL, but the longest in the four major North American sports leagues.
With Rodgers planning to play “two or three or four” more seasons, that’s good news for general manager Joe Douglas, coach Robert Saleh and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. Rodgers definitely seems to like all three guys, and it seems pretty clear that all three of them will be likely be sticking around in New York as long as Rodgers is there.
That being said, if Rodgers plays the entire 2024 season and the Jets struggle, the team could have some tough decisions to make at this time next year.
