Aaron Rodgers will take the field for the New York Jets in a regular season game on Monday for the first time since Sept. 11, 2023.
It's long overdue for fans of a team starved for above-average quarterback play. And if Rodgers produces in line with his nearly 20 years of elite performance, he will realize the dream New York's faithful have envisioned since the moment he became a Jet.
This isn't Madden NFL, though. One can't simply plug and play a quarterback. Rodgers knows this all too well, and has prepared accordingly.
"The mental part of it is the most important part," Rodgers said Thursday ahead of the Jets' season-opener against the San Franciso 49ers. "You've got to get your mind right. It's a grind. It's a long season, a lot of ups and downs. You've got to prepare yourself to really get off the wave.
"You've got to find a way to be a stability point for the team so we're not riding the highs too much or riding the lows because adversity's gonna come at some point of the season. We've got to make sure we're handling it the right way."
That's not what folks primarily are concerned about at this stage, though. They're worried a 40-year-old future Pro Football Hall of Famer, coming off a torn Achilles, might not be able to handle the physical side of the game.
Only those who have seen Rodgers perform during training camp and preseason practices know whether he's ready. Count head coach Robert Saleh among them.
"I think he's in a great place, I think he's -- not just mentally but physically -- he looks awesome," Saleh said on Thursday, oozing optimism. … "I think he's been prepared, he's prepared himself, and if he continues to stay focused on that -- which he will, he's a professional, he's done it a long time -- he's not a 40-year-old quarterback. So I think he's gonna be just fine."
Nothing Rodgers or Saleh say will truly change this uncertainty. Rodgers can only alter the narrative with his play. His first opportunity to do so arrives Monday night at the defending NFC champions. And even if that game doesn't go their way, Rodgers cautioned patience.
"If we win, the headline's going to be 'We're going to the Super Bowl.' If we lose, 'Same old Jets,' " Rodgers said. "So I think we need to get away from some of those outside themes and trust that the program, if it's good enough Week 1, it's good enough the rest of the season. So we've got to trust the process, be great competitors, show up, be professionals and show out on the field and let the chips fall where they may."
Speaking of chips, Rodgers is carrying one on his shoulder. He's heard folks openly wonder whether he can still hack it at 40 years old, and while he hasn't done himself any favors by speaking candidly about how much time he might have left in the NFL, he isn't about to lay down in the face of doubt.
That's just not how Rodgers, a Super Bowl champion and four-time NFL MVP, is built.
"How do you not [play with a chip on your shoulder]?" Rodgers asked. "I've always kinda played with something on my shoulder. You've got to manufacture things from time to time. But it kinda goes back to the 'prove it.' Who would I need to prove to? Just myself at this point. But I have a lot of pride in my performance, so when I take the field, I expect greatness because I've done it before. So that's kinda the standard I hold myself to."
