Jets punter Thomas Morstead says having Aaron Rodgers around gives team hope

Apparently, Aaron Rodgers‘ presence around the Jets is enough to give the team confidence. That’s according to punter Thomas Morstead, who recently joined the Pat McAfee Show.

Plenty of hype surrounded New York in the offseason following the acquisition of Rodgers. But all that hope and excitement dissipated when the quarterback suffered an Achilles injury just a few plays into the season opener.

While the Jets might be in a better spot if the four-time NFL MVP was under center, Morstead says that Rodgers just being around the facility is helpful.

“Let me tell ya, it’s like a hope thing. Every day, every week you see him out there. He’s done another week of rehab and all of a sudden he’s doing a little something new,” Morstead said.

“We just gotta keep hanging in there and keep finding ways to win. You can already see the story of how this thing could end. It’s exciting just to even think about it. It’s too good of a story, you can already see the ending. … It gives the guys a lot of hope about what could be.”

#Jets punter Thomas Morstead explains that Aaron Rodgers being around and making progress is "like a hope thing" for everyone in the building.

"You can already see the story of how this thing could end. It's exciting just to even think about it…"

"It gives a lot of people… pic.twitter.com/OqopUGNq3s

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 30, 2023

Even without Rodgers on the field, the Jets have performed well through seven games. They earned a 13-10 overtime win over the Giants on Sunday to improve to 4-3 on the year.

There were concerns about Zach Wilson leading the Jets offense with Rodgers out of the mix, but so far, he has the team in position to make a run at the playoffs.

Aaron Rodgers hopeful to return to Jets this season

Rodgers has not minced words about his goal this season. If at all possible, he wants to get back on the field for the Jets at some point in the year.

“I’ve had a couple injuries over the years, and I think for me — you always have to set a goal,” Rodgers said during last week’s ManningCast for Monday Night Football. “Otherwise you go kind of crazy. And so the goal is to definitely come back. There’s a lot of factors that go into that. I gotta get to a point where I can protect myself and then do what I do.”

Without Rodgers, the Jets are third in the AFC East. They sit 1.5 games behind Miami (6-2) and a half game behind Buffalo (5-3). Next Monday, New York hosts the Los Angeles Chargers. Kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m. ET and coverage airs on ABC and ESPN.