New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers is firmly established as one of the greatest players to ever touch the pigskin, but he still has plenty to prove. The 40-year-old needs to show he still has gas left in the tank after tearing his Achilles on the fourth play of the Jets' season last year.
Longtime friend and former teammate David Bakhtiari still thinks he can get it done, via The Adam Schefter Podcast.
“I really hope the most for the guy,” Bakhtiari said. “I know that his fire is burning really hard with the Jets. Especially with what happened to him, and I know the kinda guy when he feels doubted and counted out, and how much he wanted to do the first year, and he wasn't able to do that. And I know he feels how many more years left that he wants to play, so I'm expecting big things from him. I'm expecting him to put a lot on his shoulders, I'm expecting him to right the ship and put the Jets…I guess a long-winded way of saying, I think for sure they make the playoffs. Thats what I think, and then after that, all you need is a ticket to the dance. From there, I have no idea.”
Bakhtiari helped protect Rodgers as an offensive tackle for the Green Bay Packers from 2013-2022. The pair saw great success together, making the playoffs seven times.
“I don't think it's very wise for any betting man to say that Aaron Rodgers is not gonna make the playoffs,” Bakhtiari continued. “If you just look at his total career, he's only missed it a very few times. Most of the times he has missed, it's been from injury, and I've been on one of the teams when he did miss a majority of the season because of injury, he still came back and got us to the playoffs. We still almost beat the Niners, we literally were a play here, a play there away.”
Will this take age like milk or wine once January rolls around?
There's no reason to doubt the Jets if Rodgers is healthy
Bakhtiari may be biased, but he did have a front-row seat to Rodgers' greatness for nearly a decade. The legendary signal-caller is still just three years removed from his latest MVP season, although he may be more confined to the pocket than he's been in the past.
Rodgers, always a hot topic, recently made headlines for his “unexcused” absences during New York's two-day minicamp. The reason for his no-show is unknown, via Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer.
“The best I can answer this right now that I feel solid about is that he is somewhere that they could not excuse and maintain credibility with the rest of the locker room, but would be expected, would not be an out-of-left-field thing for him,” Breer said. “So you guys can open your mind, so to speak, as he’s been known to open his mind sometimes, into all the possibilities.”
However, head coach Robert Saleh and numerous other Jets players have come out in Rodgers' defense, pointing out how the enigmatic star attended all of OTAs. All in all, he appears to be fully healed and ready for football. While he may be aging, there's reason to believe Bakhtiari in this case.
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