Aaron Rodgers thrives on challenges. The 4x MVP gave subtle hints that this might be it for him if this season with the Jets doesn’t go well. “I like that kind of pressure, though,” said Rodgers when confronted about the off chances of having an abysmal season. But to his credit, the QB expedited his rehab, and was ready to play around Christmas last year, but the Jets ran out of fuel to proceed to the playoffs.

Persevering through the scrutiny, the New York Jets quarterback is hoping to take this year by storm. But for the Jets’ sake, he must be dominating this year. Rodgers doesn’t want to be forgotten as some player who transferred to a dwindling franchise, failing to light up the fire that the Jets have been missing for so long. For the most part, he seems ready to take on the uphill battle.

Staying an ‘underdog’ is where it’s at for Aaron Rodgers

Rodgers appeared in an official podcast with the New York Jets where he spoke about the mental challenges he faced throughout his injury. The QB also touched upon what he wants his legacy to look like. All the naysaying, crass comments, and apprehension fuel Aaron Rodgers to bounce back on the field and throw dimes.

The host of the show asked Rodgers about his internal struggles, despite making a complete recovery. To his luck, Rodgers remembers plays, his arm still works the same and more importantly, he’s been hitting the recovery benchmarks laid out in front of him. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be out On the OTAs. Rodgers, even after missing the whole season, feels like he’s on par with the pace of the game.

“Mentally, you know, I’m there. Physically, I just got to get that confidence to let it loose and I’m getting close to that,” said Rodgers and explained, “It’s a process anytime you come back from an injury whether it’s an extremity or internal or even a concussion, there’s certain benchmarks you need to hit in order to feel better and each one has its own challenges and these practices, the first two have helped.”

The Jets QB further went on to say, “At some point it will be, you know in a distant memory, and I’ll feel like 100% myself. Right now, you know I’m 90% myself and 10% not sure what’s going on, there are various parts of my body.”  

This season is a do or die for the Jets’ royalty and there’s a subtle expectation of Rodgers being ostracized from his team if things don’t pan out this season. Per a couple of sources, Aaron Rodgers has been doing a phenomenal job in the OTAs and that implies that the QB is not only working to make the Jets’ season fruitful but also towards safeguarding his legacy.

Rodgers and his flawless delivery in practices

On the surface, it looks like the Jets QB has a green light to proceed further. In the first day of his OTAs, Rodgers was seen completing his passes. He’s been doing 7-on-7’s and 11-on-11’s and nailing all his passes. In his own words, Rodgers “still got it.” Per the people present there in the Jets facility, Rodgers looks much “sharper”, nailing his lateral movements, his strength is back and he’s doing well as far as calisthenics and running are concerned.

It’s painstaking to think that the QB at this point in his career is going guns blazing to achieve his Super Bowl dreams with the Jets. All this running around must result in something. As the former Packer is about to turn 41 in December, retiring from the league is not a distant dream for him. The QB has been unorthodox in his ways, be it his recovery methods or his outlandish take on things, the “road less taken” always appeals to him.

The host asked Rodgers how he feels about being labeled an underdog. Unsurprisingly, that’s what the Super Bowl winner has aspired to be all his life. The 4x MVP said, “The road not taken has kind of been my path the entire way and being an underdog and being you know, an afterthought at times has been fuel to my fire.”

There have been rumors recently that Aaron Rodgers gave up the opportunity to run for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s VP in the coming times because he wanted to be focused on football. His views garnered criticism as always, but the grand gesture reflects his sincerity and commitment to football. That’s because he doesn’t want to end up as a washed-up quarterback in hindsight. “I don’t want to go out as a bum. So that’s why I put the work in and believe in my abilities. I mean, you guys saw today. There’s no pads on, but I can obviously still throw it with the best of them and can still move around,” said the Jets signal caller.

While the QB is doing everything to prove his worth to the fans, the stakeholders, and even the naysayers, there’s the question of “what if” lingering around him. Right now his season is foggy, but time will tell whether Rodgers returns to his original form or chooses to retire next year. He’s been a trailblazer in some regards, but his ultimate test is about to begin a few months from now.