Maybe Aaron Rodgers will play. Maybe he won’t play.
The New York Jets quarterback is still unsure whether he will play in Saturday night’s preseason finale against the Giants, and Rodgers will not be campaigning to coach Robert Saleh in any way.
“I don’t really have a favorite,” Rogers said Tuesday after receiving veteran rest along with several other starters.
Rogers is expected to participate in the Jets’ joint practice with the Giants on Wednesday, and if he does not play in the game, the practice session will serve as a final dress rehearsal before the regular season opener on Sept. 9 in San Francisco.
“Who knows if he’ll play on Saturday?” Rodgers said. “If Saleh wants to, he’ll do it. I don’t know what he’s told you, but I haven’t heard anything yet.”
Saleh said coaches will discuss how to handle playing time for Rodgers and the starters after joint practice on Monday.
“Most of these drills have been pretty (first-team)-heavy,” Rodgers said. “You know, we’ve done a lot of drills against Washington and Carolina. I think there’s going to be a lot of drills. Situational drills, maybe third-down periods, maybe red zone periods, two-minute periods. So there’s a good chance.”
The 40-year-old Rodgers, entering his 20th season in the NFL, said Saleh’s game plan has been effective this summer.
“This year’s camp was a lot harder, probably the hardest I’ve been in the last seven or eight years of my career,” Rogers said. “I knew that. Going into camp, I kind of knew that’s what Robert wanted to do. So I think it’s been good for us.”
Rogers said coaches have shown this year’s starters are taking about 300 more snaps in practice than they did at the same time last year.
“It feels that way, but it’s good,” Rogers said. “I think we’ll be a little bit more prepared. And we’ve been lucky with the injuries. We haven’t had that many injuries so far. So it’s been good. It’s been really good. He’s talked to the older guys and there hasn’t been a lot of complaints from any of them. The younger guys don’t know any better. So it’s been good.”
Rodgers’ next snap will be his first, preseason or regular season, since tearing his left Achilles tendon four snaps into the season-opening win over Buffalo last year. He looked good all summer and showed no physical signs of the injury.
“I feel good about my body and how I’ve put it together,” he said. “I think I’ve been doing things throughout camp like rolling out, rolling out and pulling up, getting out of the pocket and making plays, throwing back with my whole body, pump fakes and really extending plays and gaining yards. So I think I’ve done a lot.
“I didn’t get hit. Thankfully, that’s the most important thing. I respect and appreciate my defense on that. … We’ll see if we can get through tomorrow without getting hit.”
But Rogers knows it’s just one of the mental and physical hurdles he’ll have to overcome.
“Whether it’s preseason, your 10th year, your 20th year, getting your first opportunity always helps,” Rodgers said. “It doesn’t have to be preseason. … There’s going to be a moment where you’re going to have your first shaky moment and then you’re going to be like, ‘Okay, I’m good.’
“I don’t think I’ll really get shaken up in preseason. Even if I play a series or two, I don’t think there will be any plays where I’m holding on to the football for a long time. So I’m more at risk of getting shaken up in practice.”
Associated Press reports.
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