The New York Jets’ latest defeat has sealed the fate of Aaron Rodgers, who is unlikely to return from his injury this season. The Jets were trounced 30-0 by the Miami Dolphins on Sunday in Week 15 of the NFL, resulting in their official elimination from playoff contention with three regular season games still to go.
Robert Saleh’s team now stands at a disappointing 5-9 for the year. They’re set to face the Washington Commanders at home in Week 16, before wrapping up the regular season with away games against the Cleveland Browns and the New England Patriots.
Their starting quarterback, Zach Wilson, suffered a concussion in the first half of the game. Saleh confirmed that Wilson is now under the league’s concussion protocol, leaving his availability for the Christmas Eve game against the Commanders uncertain.
After Wilson left the field, Trevor Siemian was brought in to finish the game. Siemian has been part of the Jets’ roster since September, and the team also recently acquired Brett Rypien from the Seattle Seahawks after waiving Tim Boyle.
Before the crushing defeat to the Dolphins, there had been talk of Rodgers possibly returning to play this season. The seasoned quarterback has been recovering from an Achilles tendon injury he picked up in Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills.
Rodgers had a successful operation on September 13 and has been recovering since then. As the season has gone on, there’s been more speculation about whether the 40-year-old might make a surprising comeback for the Jets this year.
According to NFL Network, for Rodgers to have any chance of returning this season, the Jets would need to beat the Dolphins to keep their playoff dreams alive. But even if they did win, it was still doubtful that Rodgers will be fit enough to play again for the Jets this season.
The Jets started a 21-day practice window for Rodgers on November 29, where the quarterback took part in practice. The deadline for the Jets to bring Rodgers back from injured reserve is Wednesday.
If the Jets don’t bring Rodgers back before the deadline, then the four-time NFL MVP won’t be able to return this season. Now that the Jets are officially eliminated from the playoffs, it’s unclear if Rodgers and the team will want to risk his fitness in the last three games of the season.
