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The New York Jets are going to miss the playoffs for the 14th consecutive season, and following this disastrous year, their quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, may also call it a career. But if Allen Lazard is correct, Rodgers is just trying to get attention.
Rodgers, 41, is the oldest player in the NFL, and his last three seasons have been mediocre to bad or, in the case of last year, spent on the sidelines after a season-ending injury in the first game. However, Rodgers has seemingly remained receptive to returning for his 21st season in the league.
Still, rumors Rodgers will hang up the cleats have persisted, which Lazard, who accompanied Rodgers in his move from the Green Bay Packers to the Jets before the 2023 season, said could be because of Rodgers himself.
“I think he's just doing it for the headlines and the clicks and the attention,” Lazard said, smiling, according to ESPN's Rich Cimini. “But with him, you never know.”
Lazard paused and then spoke again.
“If it ends up being that [for a career] I've had a hell of a career because of that man,” Lazard said.
Where would Aaron Rodgers rank all-time if he retired?
Rodgers very well may retire after this season, and if he did, he'll be making a trip to Canton five years from now.
Thought by some to be the most talented quarterback of all time, Rodgers' case to be a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer is bulletproof; after 20 seasons, four of which he barely played due to being a backup or injured, Rodgers ranks among the all-time greats at the quarterback position.
Currently, Rodgers has the eighth-most passing yards of all time, seventh-most completions, fifth-most passing touchdowns, as well as the best passer rating and best interception percentage of any quarterback in NFL history. Additionally, he has four MVP awards to his name, the second-most of any player ever, five All-Pro selections, 10 Pro Bowl selections, a Super Bowl, and a Super Bowl MVP award.
Rodgers needs five passing touchdowns over the final four games of the season to reach 500 touchdowns, a mark only Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, and Rodgers' former Packers teammate Brett Favre have surpassed.
Unfortunately for Rodgers, his career, if it is ending, did not finish on a high note. Rodgers' numbers have declined over the past few years, and his off-field antics have attracted criticism. When he arrived to New York last year, he was thought to be the quarterback to lead the Jets back to the playoffs for the first time since 2010, but instead, he tore his Achilles tendon just moments into his debut with the team. This season, while relatively healthy, has proven to be an unmitigated disaster, as the Jets (3-10) have fired their head coach and general manager and appear headed toward another rebuild.
There have been rumors that Rodgers could be benched or even outright released before the end of the season, but as it stands, Rodgers and the Jets are set to play the Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Rams, Buffalo Bills, and Miami Dolphins to finish the 2024 campaign.
