‘Forward-thinking’ Jets sit Rodgers at wet practice

Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff WriterAug 8, 2024, 03:36 PM ET
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FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — New York Jets coach Robert Saleh woke up Thursday morning, looked outside at the rainy weather and decided to keep quarterback Aaron Rodgers on the sideline for a joint practice with the Washington Commanders.

And Rodgers apparently wasn’t thrilled about it.

“He pushed back, he pushed back,” Saleh said after practice. “He wanted to go, but in the grand scheme of things, we’re trying to keep forward-thinking with regard to Week 1.”

Rodgers, coming off Achilles surgery, watched the two-hour, rain-drenched practice from the sideline as Tyrod Taylor ran the Jets’ starting offense. It was Rodgers’ first missed practice in training camp.

On the surface, it’s no big deal, but it’s a lost opportunity — and the 40-year-old is running out of opportunities to prepare for the regular season, especially if he’s held out of the preseason games. Saleh said Rodgers still has plenty of time to get ready for Sept. 9 against the San Francisco 49ers. This decision, he said, was based on the wet field conditions and the “heightened environment” of having to face another team instead of his own. Saleh concluded that it was an “unnecessary” risk to put him on the field.

“I just didn’t want to expose him to it,” Saleh said. “If it was a game, if it was a [regular] practice, if it was clean outside, he would’ve practiced today. Call it overprotection, but it’s just the decision I made.”

The Jets still have two joint practices remaining — one against the Carolina Panthers, one against the New York Giants. They open the preseason Saturday against the Commanders at MetLife Stadium.

Rodgers won’t play in the first two preseason games, Saleh has said. The third game, against the Giants, appears to be up in the air. A week ago, Saleh said his “instinct” was to sit Rodgers for all three, which seemed to catch the four-time MVP by surprise.

On Thursday, Saleh walked that back a little, saying he’s undecided about the plan for the third game. Rodgers has looked sharp in camp, but he hasn’t played a full game in 19 months and might want a quick tune-up for the regular season. Rodgers, who played only two series last preseason, lasted only four snaps in the regular season before he ruptured his left Achilles, creating the longest layoff of his career.

The Jets did get some positive injury news, as wide receiver Mike Williams — activated Wednesday from the physically unable to perform list — made his 2024 practice debut. The former Los Angeles Chargers star, who tore an ACL in Week 3, was limited to individual drills, but the team has a plan that will allow him to ramp up gradually for the regular season.

“It felt good putting on shoulder pads, running with the guys,” said Williams, who signed a one-year, $10 million contract. “It felt good. [It’s been] a grind, for sure. I’d say this whole process has been a grind.”

Saleh said Williams is “a lot further ahead than we anticipated,” but they will be cautious with him. He will be restricted to walk-throughs, individual periods and routes-on-air for about two weeks. At that point, he will join 11-on-11 drills.

Williams, who received a hug from Rodgers at the start of Thursday’s practice, will be hard-pressed to create instant chemistry with his new quarterback. They’ve had zero practice time.

“I’m just going to react to Aaron,” he said. “I’m going to let Aaron be Aaron. Aaron has been doing this for a long time with a lot of different receivers, so I’ll just react to him. I feel like we’re going to get on the same page quick. I feel like it won’t be a hard transition. I feel like we’re going to make each other’s job easy.”