NEWSLETTER
Getting Aaron Rodgers out of Green Bay (and away from the NFC North) was one of my favorite highlights of the offseason. Not only was Rodgers no longer our problem, but he was also set to torture the fanbases of AFC East teams, instead. It was a brief time of peace and civility in the land of Bears football. And while Rodgers’ season-ending Achilles injury will keep him off the field the rest of this year, Rodgers is already vowing to return.
You can pocket the retirement talk. Rodgers is planning to run it back with the New York Jets in 2023:
“I’m completely heartbroken and moving through all of the emotions, but deeply touched and humbled by the support and love. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I begin the healing process today. The night is darkest before the dawn. And I shall rise yet again.”
OK, so it sounds like Rodgers plans on spending his time in the foreseeable future rehabbing so he can be a full-go for the 2024 season. And it makes sense, too. Rodgers’ New York adventure was always going to be about trying to have one last hurrah before he hung ’em up. A season-ending injury this early in the year only postpones his farewell tour by a year. After all, Rodgers is set to make $38 million in 2024. For as much of a wackadoodle he can be, even Rodgers wasn’t turning that down to turn in retirement papers. With that being said, I find Rodgers’ statement a bit … disturbing (okay, I’m being dramatic, but it’s almost Spooky Season, it felt right).
Are we destined for one last Bears vs. Aaron Rodgers showdown?
Rodgers has mastered the art of being a nuisance online. And he has a particular expertise in getting under the skin of Bears fans. So I shouldn’t be surprised that I got legitimate chills when reading through Rodgers’ Instagram post caption. And not the good chills either. This was troubling. It felt like there was a disturbance in the Force. If it was, then allow me to channel my inner Han Solo and declare: “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”
The Chicago Bears and New York Jets could square off in 2024. If the NFL’s schedule rotation stays true to its current form, the Bears will play host to the same-place finisher in the AFC East next season. Yes, we have a while before the smoke clears on that front and we figure out who that opponent will be in 2024. After all, it could be the Dolphins, Bills, or Patriots strolling into Soldier Field next year. It all depends on where the Bears finish in the NFC North standings. But that it could be the Jets (and Rodgers) is something on my radar that I simply couldn’t ignore.
#Jets QB Aaron Rodgers: “I shall rise yet again.” https://t.co/MAgGwmNJP7 pic.twitter.com/L1OAbcBIkP
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 13, 2023
