Aaron Rodgers hints that 2023 won't be his last with the Jets

Aaron Rodgers is days into his first training-camp experience with the Jets. And he intends to be at it again this time next year, maybe even another summer past that.

Who cares if Rodgers turns 40 a week after Thanksgiving. He’s talking about playing years, as in plural, for the Jets.

Rodgers did an interview with ESPN’s 98.7 radio station in NYC earlier this week. That’s when he talked about his future.

“I’m not a big cliche guy,” Aaron Rodgers said. “Most people would say, ‘Let’s take this one day at a time, one year at a time.’ But the Jets gave up a lot for me. So, to just play one year I think would be a disservice. Now if that one year turns out to be a magical year, who knows?”

Yes, this contrarian quarterback did give himself an out. There’s usually a caveat when Aaron Rodgers talks. That’s been true long before he arrived at Florham Park, N.J., this spring as the newest Jets starting quarterback. He said much the same Friday morning during a training camp media availability.

Does this sound like a guy who will be one-and-done? Aaron Rodgers likes the #Jets future pic.twitter.com/gNXwY24tLq

— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) July 21, 2023

So we’re assuming he’s talking about the Super Bowl, possibly winning it, as the “magical year” that would entice him to retire gracefully from the NFL. But that’s kind of a distant dream. The Jets have only one Lombardi Trophy. That was in 1969 when “Broadway” Joe Namath promised a win over the powerhouse Baltimore Colts. Since that season, the Jets have made the AFC title game four times. The last came in January 2011, when the Steelers beat them 24-19 to earn a Super Bowl spot.

Plus, the road to this coming season’s Super Bowl probably goes through Kansas City. Or maybe it veers towards Cincinnati or Buffalo, even Baltimore. The AFC is top-heavy with young, quality quarterbacks, including Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. So it’s tough out there for a 39-year-old quarterback. And it’s also tough to be a Jet as evidenced by their extended playoff drought. The Jets haven’t qualified for the postseason in 12 years. That’s the longest current drought of any team in the NFL.

Of course, Aaron Rodgers also acknowledged that his body will dictate his retirement decision.

“More than that, it’s how my body feels,” he said. “And I’ve made some changes this offseason with training and diet. I haven’t eaten a lot of bananas or fruit in a while, or anything processed. I’ve been kind of just sticking to a lot of protein and fats. Body feels good, joints feel good. Changed up some training regimen stuff with my incredible trainers out west.”