Aaron Rodgers' NFL Referendum Came vs. Jaguars

Albert Breer says Future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers proved his worth late last year in win over Jacksonville Jaguars

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) and wide receiver Davante Adams (17) high-five each other as they walks off the field after the game Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jets held off the Jaguars 32-25. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Like sands through the hour glass, these are the days of our lives – our NFL lives waiting for Aaron Rodgers. But this is no soap opera, and he’s not washed up. Otherwise, no team would be waiting on the four-time MVP to make his decision.

And whether the future Hall of Famer plays in 2025 for the Steelers or Giants -- or follows Brett Favre’s career path and finishes in Minnesota -- the fact Rodgers can still play at 41 years old was evident in one late-season game last year: The win over Jacksonville.

“I talked to one pro scouting director earlier in the month who told me to go back and watch the New York Jets’ Week 15 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars,” Sports Illustrated senior writer Albert Breer published Monday. “He said it was all there. Rodgers’s ability to throw and see and think the game at a high level was on that tape.

“So, I took a look, and he wasn’t lying. There were examples where you could see Rodgers couldn’t escape the way he used to, but a lot more where he showed he can still sling it with anyone.”

With under 11 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter that day, after Mac Jones hit Brian Thomas for a 19-yard touchdown, Jacksonville held a 22-17 lead.

Over his next three drives, Rodgers put the Jets in scoring position. After Anders Carlson missed a 48-yard field-goal attempt, the quarterback hit Davante Adams on a gorgeous, 71-yard touchdown to vault the Jets back into the lead, 25-22.

Then, following Cam Little’s game-tying, 43-yard field goal with 1:51 left, Rodgers went back to work. The quarterback drove the Jets 70 yards on seven plays. On consecutive third downs, he found Adams for 23- and 41-yard gains to set up Breece Hall’s 1-yard, game-winning touchdown.

Certainly, the Jaguars’ dismal secondary was accountable for some of those plays. Jacksonville finished last in the NFL with 257.4 passing yards allowed per game. James Gladstone landed Jourdan Lewis and Eric Murray last week was to prevent quarterbacks like Rodgers from inflicting that type of fourth-quarter damage.

“If you weren’t watching,” Breer continued, “it’s tough to blame you. It was a mid-December game between two 3-10 teams. But go back and look, and I bet you’ll see what I did in the 289-yard, three-touchdown performance that Rodgers gave the Jets in a 32-25 win.”

Rodgers can still play. So, don’t be surprised to see him continuing to compete for the playoffs wherever he lands.

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