Everybody hopes for the all-time greats to have that swansong year. Tom Brady had it when he won Super Bown LV with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers well into his 40s. You could argue Joe Flacco had a comeback when he replaced the Colts’ Anthony Richardson post-injury and shone early this year. With his former Packers’ teammate Davante Adams joining him at the Jets, fans might have hoped Aaron Rodgers could have that one last good year.

Sadly, things don’t look like they’re heading that way. Patriots’ Defensive tackle Davon Godchaux called out Aaron Rodgers’ mobility on the field after the Jets-Patriots game earlier today. He called Rodgers a Hall of Famer (he’s not been inducted) before he dismissed him, saying “He definitely don’t look the same.” The implication, of course, being the living legend has lost his touch, slowed down, and is past his prime.

If you look at the stats on paper for the game, Rodgers didn’t have a bad showing against the Patriots. He had a genuinely impressive 233-yard game (Brissett only threw 132, and Maye 23) and threw 2 touchdowns. And things were looking up for them. It looked like they really might be able to break their losing streak. But a literal last minute touchdown with a 2-point conversion gave the Patriots the edge. The Patriots and the Jets now stand shoulder to shoulder, 2-6 both.

This was the season Aaron Rodgers was supposed to turn things around for the New York Jets. This is Rodgers’ second year with the Jets, but his injury in the opening game last season makes it feel like his first. Hell, he injured himself this season too. He took the field despite suffering “knee, ankle, and hamstring injuries” today. Maybe that is why Godchaux felt driven to call Rodgers out. This isn’t prime Rodgers, not exactly. But will we see a prime Rodgers take to the field again? And is it too late for the Jets already if he does?

Can Aaron Rodgers salvage the Jets’ campaign?

Coming towards the halfway point of the season, the Jets’ campaign looks aimless about now. 3 games in, the Jets were 2-1 and looking settled, they’d had a comfortable win over the Titans and massive one over the Patriots. Somehow they’ve gone from a 24-3 win against the Patriots to a 25-22 defeat. They’ve had a few close scrapes in the middle, arguably even today, but they’re just not winning enough games. That’s the only thing that matters at the end of the day.

Right about now is when the Jets could’ve used a bye-week to regroup, but that’s not coming for a month, give or take. Sure, they’re only one of 3 teams with just 2 wins in AFC East. But it’s unlikely they’ll end up outdoing the Bills’ 5-2, the way they’ve been playing. 10 other teams in the league are currently at 2 wins or less, and you wouldn’t take a single one seriously if they claimed to be Super Bowl contenders. So it’ll be the same with the Jets as well, it just wasn’t meant to be, it seems.

Pairing up with Davante Adams hasn’t saved his game, so what now? It looks like a dimly lit path to a mediocre finish this season.