Getty Aaron Rodgers reacts to a play in a New York Jets preseason game.
While he may not be channeling Joe Namath and guaranteeing a victory, Aaron Rodgers has his own promise for New York Jets fans in the season opener against the Buffalo Bills.
The former Green Bay Packers quarterback will be making his New York debut on Monday Night Football against the Bills, and promised fans they would see a strong performance from the home team. As Jets reporter Harrison Glaser shared on Twitter, Rodgers stopped short of following in Namath’s footsteps and guaranteeing a win but promised that the Jets would be ready to take on the Bills.
“I guarantee that there’s gonna be 11 that show up on the field on the offensive side, on the defensive side, & on the special teams side that are gonna go out & play their hearts out for each other, for the fans, & for the organization,” Rodgers said, via Glaser.
Rodgers added a message to Jets fans reminding them to “show up early, be as loud as you possibly can, and put your seat belt on because it’s gonna be a wild ride.”
Aaron Rodgers Has First-Game Jitters
Rodgers admitted that he is feeling some nerves about his regular-season debut in New York. The Packers traded Rodgers to the Jets in a deal last April, and Rodgers told The Associated Press that he felt “some butterflies” in his preseason debut with the Jets.
Rodgers added that he expects to have some pregame “jitters” before the game against the Bills, but expects to work through it quickly with the help of the home fans.
“A lot of tears, a lot of sobbing, probably,” Rodgers joked when asked how it will feel to run onto the field for the first time with the Jets. “No, I’m going to be good. I’m going to be excited to be out there with the crowd, see the crowd out there early, hopefully.
Aaron Rodgers on playing until 45, like Tom Brady:
“I think if you would’ve asked me five, six years ago, I would’ve said probably not. But with the change that’s happened & some of the changes off the field I’ve made, I definitely see that now as a possibility where before I…
“Get all the jitters out of the way probably in pregame and just go out and try to execute.”
The Bills saw Rodgers last season, beating the Packers 27-17 in an October 30 game on Sunday Night Football. The Bills held Rodgers to 203 passing yards on 19-of-30 passing in the game. Rodgers threw two touchdown passes with one interception.
Josh Allen Wary of Jets Defense
The Bills and Jets played two tight games last season, splitting the series as the Jets won in the Meadowlands and the Bills returned the favor with a win in Orchard Park. Ahead of their Monday Night Football matchup, Bills quarterback Josh Allen said he knew his team would face a big challenge against New York’s aggressive defense.
“They’re a really good group,” Allen said, via the Bills’ official website. “They’ve got rushers that have motors, they sub those guys in and out so they’re fresh. Their DBs are smart. I know [Sauce Gardner], he’s a great player, he gets a lot of credit. I think [cornerback D.J. Reed] is also pretty dang good. So yeah, they game planned pretty well for us the last couple times we’ve played them, and we’ll have our hands full come Monday night.”