Jets’ Saleh would ‘be shocked’ if Rodgers retires

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Until he makes a public declaration, Aaron Rodgers‘ future will spark months of speculation. New York Jets coach Robert Saleh, for one, said he doesn’t believe Rodgers will be four plays and done.

“I’d be shocked if this is the way he’s going to go out,” Saleh said Wednesday.

The 39-year-old quarterback, the oldest player in the NFL, faces several months of grueling rehab after tearing his left Achilles tendon on his fourth snap of the season in Monday night’s win over the Buffalo Bills.

Saleh said he hasn’t discussed the future with him, adding that Rodgers is “working through a whole lot of headspace things that he needs to deal with, and that will be the last thing I talk to him about.”

Rodgers still hasn’t scheduled his surgery, according to Saleh, who said the four-time MVP is receiving “consultations, trying to figure out what his next best move is.”

Before the injury, Rodgers had mentioned on numerous occasions that his goal was to play multiple years with the Jets. He’s signed through 2025, due to receive $38 million in guarantees in 2024.

In Green Bay, Packers coach Matt LaFleur and quarterback Jordan Love said they texted Rodgers shortly after his injury.

“I would bet that he would have no problem coming back from it. I really believe it. I know the type of worker he is, and so it’s just going to be a choice of whether or not he wants to continue to play or not,” LaFleur said.

Love said that he was excited to see Rodgers play and that “it sucks for that to happen to him in the first series. I feel for him, I know he’s going to bounce back, and he’ll do his thing in recovery, and he’ll come back stronger.”

Meanwhile, the Jets are preparing for the Dallas Cowboys (1-0) with Zach Wilson as their starter and Tim Boyle as the backup. Saleh said they don’t feel a sense of urgency to add another quarterback even though Wilson and Boyle are the only two in the building. Boyle will be brought up from the practice squad for Sunday’s game on the road.

At some point, the Jets hope Rodgers will return to the facility to help behind the scenes. Rodgers and Wilson have developed a close relationship over the past few months, and the coaches say it has helped Wilson — the No. 2 pick in 2021 — improve his game.

“I think it’s very important,” Saleh said of having Rodgers around the team. “It’s important for him. For him, I think it’s the mental health and healing. I think that’s very important. But his presence, his words. … I said he’s as much a football coach as he is a player. Just having his presence, his thoughts, his words and his leadership, anybody would want that.”

For now, Wilson won’t have Rodgers around to tutor him. The Jets are trying to rally around the quarterback who was benched twice last season and demoted to third string late in the year.

In Dallas, Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy, Rodgers’ former coach with the Packers, said he reached out to his former quarterback.

“I have a tremendous amount of love for him. This is tough. I know he was very excited about this chapter of his life, and I was looking forward to seeing him this weekend … You get to see how precious these opportunities are. Every game is such a special opportunity to compete in this league. So, yeah, I think we’re all feeling for him personally right now.”

ESPN’s Rob Demovsky and Todd Archer contributed to this report.