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Aaron Rodgers has been officially confirmed to not be playing in the New York Jets third and final preseason game of the summer against the New York Giants, meaning his first NFL action since his Achilles tear will be a Monday Night Football matchup against the San Francisco 49ers.
Criticism of Aaron Rodgers’ decision not to play in preseason has grown in recent weeks, with the likes of former New York Jets manager Mike Tannenbaum.
“We all have high expectations for Aaron Rodgers and the Jets this year and let me tell you this: The only way you can maximize that is he has to go out in the preseason and play,” Tannenbaum said while appearing an an NFL analyst on ESPN.
Tannebaum’s comments come as Rodgers labeled this offseason as one of the most difficult of his career, particularly over the last decade or so.
“I would say the camp is much harder this year and maybe the hardest in the last seven or eight of my career,” Rodgers told the media this week.
Ultimately, though, Rodgers knows his body best, and if he believes sitting out the preseason is the right decision for him, then so beat it.
Rodgers should be careful, though, about bemoaning how difficult this offseason has been, as it will further stir an already-brewing fear in Jets fans that this season, like last, may not work out. This is a franchise built on failure and propelled by dread, after all, perpetuating a cloud of misery and selling it to their fans as football.
There is no emotion, just the facts, @stephenasmith – Aaron Rodgers hasn’t played well in 3 years, but let’s hope you’re right that he does return to form this season. However, football history says that’s unlikely. https://t.co/wad7fi6UU2
— Mike Tannenbaum (@RealTannenbaum) August 22, 2024
Because when it comes to Rodgers, and the rest of us, you just never know who’s listening, or in this case, reading. Friends, family, lovers, and even enemies.
Maybe even you, right now, fall under one of those categories, reading down to the bottom of the page to see what I’ve got to say. And if so — Hey! — you’re the Borden to my Angier, “sitting there in your cubicle, reading my article, awaiting your downsizing…” That’s a The Prestige reference for all my Nolan-heads out there.
Rodgers certainly knows what this feels like on a scale most of us will never comprehend, having every one of his words analyzed and dissected by the media. And you never want to give those types of people ammunition, as they’ll only use their hate of you to further fuel their own doubts and fears about themselves; their inadequacies, their faults, their self-hatred.
They channel their anger about themselves into others, just like Jets fans channel the anger of the franchise’s decades of haplessness into Rodgers’ shaky Achilles and shakier podcast appearances.
What Rodgers needs to focus on isn’t Mike Tannenbaum, sports media personalities, or even Jets fans — he needs to go out there and just win games. Don’t worry about the outside noise, because responding to it will only make him look weaker.
As mentioned above, Rodgers’ first game since tearing his Achilles just four snaps into his New York Jets career on September 11, 2023, will come 363 days later when Gang Green heads west to take on the 49ers in the first Monday Night Football matchup of the season. The 49ers are currently favored by 4.5 points.