Getty New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers throwing a pass ahead of an NFL game.
New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers has returned to MetLife Stadium.
The official X account previously Twitter of Gang Green shared a six-second video clip confirming the arrival ahead of the Week 4 matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday Night Football.
Welcome home, @AaronRodgers12
Rodgers was being driven around in the bowels of MetLife Stadium on a cart wearing street clothes holding onto modified crutches.
This is the first time Rodgers has returned to MetLife Stadium since tearing his Achilles in the Week 1 contest versus the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football.
Top Social Media Reactions to Rodgers Return
Some fans are hoping that Rodgers will be more than just watching during Sunday Night Football. One fan posted, “Give him a direct line to Zach [Wilson’s] headset.”
During the preseason, Rodgers went viral during when he was on the headset during the Hall of Fame game against the Cleveland Browns.
HBO’s “Hard Knocks” showed the back-and-forth between Wilson and Rodgers that led to a highlight reel 57-yard connection to wide receiver Malik Taylor.
STRAIGHT FIRE: Aaron Rodgers dialed up Zach Wilson’s deep ball in the Hall of Fame game vs the Browns! 🔥
🎥: @StreamOnMax
Another social media account posted, “I hope he is in Zach’s ear the entire game.” That sort of mentorship certainly couldn’t hurt.
Dr. David J. Chao said on X that Rodgers is “back in the stadium but will not be on the sidelines.” It would be unsafe for Rodgers to be on the sidelines because he wouldn’t be able to avoid potential contact on his crutches.
Rodgers Will Remain a Part of the Team Throughout the Season
This Rodgers appearance won’t be a one-time thing in Week 4, Rodgers plans on being around the team throughout the rest of the season.
A-Rod floated out the possibility of a potential return to the team late in the season if they made the playoffs on “The Pat McAfee Show.” However, that is somewhat farfetched, a more realistic impact will be his presence at the facilities and in the film room during the week.
The Jets coaching staff admitted this week that one of the big challenges with Rodgers going out and Wilson going in is the changes to the offense. Head coach Robert Saleh said everything was designed around Rodgers and his likes/dislikes but as soon as he went down, they had to call several audibles at the line of scrimmage.
Saleh said the team is still trying to find out what their new offensive identity is. The roster is loaded with talented playmakers, but they haven’t lived up to their contracts or hype as a whole through the first three weeks of the season.
There is some blame to go around, but the biggest reason for the Jets lack of tempo on offense has been the deficiencies at the quarterback position.
Wilson needs to continue to tow that fine line of protecting the ball but also making plays when they’re available. The training wheels have been on and that has stunted the ceiling of this Jets offense in 2023.
Gang Green needs to get some creativity going on offense and perhaps the influence of Rodgers’ return can help the squad make some progress.