Monday Night Football’s game between the Jets and the 49ers is straight out of a Hollywood script.
Not only is Aaron Rodgers returning and playing for the first time since his season-ending Achilles injury, but he is also returning to the Bay Area, where he grew up.
Rodgers is also playing against the team that passed on him during the 2005 NFL Draft.
“I’ve outlasted a lot of the people over there,” Rodgers said. A lot of them are still coaching around the league. It’s a great staff over there.
“I had battles against Kyle [Shanahan] and [Nick] Sorensen now, I think I played against him too, so there’s a lot of familiarity there. Obviously, it’s fun to go back to the Bay Area, but it really is just another game.
“I mean if this had happened first or second year as a starter, it’s kind of a different energy when all the guys you feel like passed on you, you have some sort of like bitterness you hold on to. I don’t have any of that anymore.”
Rodgers is wrong, it is not just another game.
Like a year ago, the Jets had championship expectations entering the season. It was like the air went out of the team’s balloon when Rodgers, 40, tore his Achilles four plays into his Jets’ debut.
Of course, Rodgers fought to return to the field and was even cleared to resume practicing last November, 2 1/2 months after surgery. However, the Jets would soon be eliminated from playoff contention and Rodgers did not return.
People are divided about Rodgers. Some believe he can return to his Packers MVP form. Throughout training camp and joint practices, Rodgers looked similar to the player he once was, minus their Aug. 19 practice, which was the worst of the summer.
Some naysayers believe Rodgers’ best days are behind him because of his age and his greater susceptibility to injury. He also hasn’t played an entire game in 20 months, which was Rodgers’ final game with the Packers in a season in which he threw the second-most interceptions (12) in his career.
Rodgers has always had a chip on his shoulder and has been determined to prove people wrong. That’s why he wanted to return last season when he was less than 100%. Rodgers is also driven to make the Jets relevant and a Super Bowl contender.
“Seeing the recovery that he made and the work he put in while also being the best teammate that he can be and coming back here when he didn’t have to,” Jets defensive tackle Solomon Thomas told the Daily News. “Coaching guys up when he didn’t have to, we have the highest respect for him.
“We already do because of the player he is, the person he is and on top of everything that he has given us when he didn’t have to, we have the utmost respect for him. The way he takes care of us, the way he loves us and we want to give that back to him.”
Monday night is important for Rodgers and Jets head coach Robert Saleh. This will mark the first time Saleh will return to Levi’s Stadium to match wits with his familiar face.
In 2017, Shanahan gave Saleh his first opportunity to become an NFL defensive coordinator after he was previously a linebackers coach with the Jaguars.
Saleh served as the 49ers’ defensive coordinator from 2017-20 before the Jets hired him in 2021. Under Shanahan, San Francisco returned to the league’s elite, reaching Super Bowl LIV before losing to the Chiefs.
“It’s a special place, getting my first opportunity as a coordinator. Took over a not-so-great defense and we were able to build that thing and bring in guys like Fred Warner, [Nick] Bosa, Arik Armstead, DeForest Buckner, Jimmie Ward, there’s so many guys.
“I’ll forever be indebted to the Shanahan family, papa Shanahan [Mike Shanahan], who had a tremendous influence on me, Kyle, challenging me every day to look outside the box. [49ers general manager] John [Lynch] and his tutelage, I mean, it’s just an elite organization.
“The York family, the way they operate day to day I think it’s a class organization and I’m forever indebted to them.”
Although Saleh doesn’t call defensive plays, he heavily influences the Jets’ defense. During his first season with the Jets, they finished dead last in yards and points allowed.
But Gang Green’s defensive unit has been among the best in the NFL in the previous two seasons. During that stretch, the Jets ranked in the top five yards allowed, including last year, when they were third in that category (292.3).
Saleh, defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, and the Jets defense will be challenged by a potent 49ers offense that includes quarterback Brock Purdy, four-time All-Pro Christian McCaffrey, and elite receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel.
He’s exactly what that offense needs as a play caller and as the engineer behind it all,” Ulbrich said about Purdy.
“He’s so decisive, and he’s so confident. Their passing game is so precise in all they do, they need guys that are built on timing, and accuracy, and he embodies both of those things at the highest level.”
Saleh’s first three seasons with the Jets haven’t gone smoothly. Since 2021, the Jets are 18-33 and haven’t sniffed the playoffs.
A season ago, Saleh received a mulligan because of Rodgers’ injury. However, Jets owner Woody Johnson put Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas on notice after he was unhappy with the offense.
The 2024 season is critical for Saleh, Douglas, and even Rodgers. Significant changes are likely if the Jets don’t end their 13-year postseason drought.
“I get the wins and all that, but for me, if we can operate where our feet are this year and be our best I’ll be proud,” Saleh said. “We’ve got a good football team, I know we’ve got a good football team and the results are going to be what they are.
“I just want us to show up every day with our minds on, ball ready to compete, and if we do that, I think the rest will take care of itself.”
