Jets' Aaron Rodgers addresses mental rust, RFK Jr. decision

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers first entered the NFL during the 2005 draft but nevertheless suggested on Tuesday he's a bit rusty after he missed most of the 2024 season due to the torn Achilles he suffered Week 1. 

"It’s just about the mental part," Rodgers explained during a news conference, as shared by Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. "These practices have been nice the last couple of days. Feel what it’s like to be out there, to be moving around, to not be thinking about it and see how I respond the next day. This is the last part."

He added he is working on "the reactions coming naturally" as he prepares for training-camp sessions that will get underway later this summer. 

Rodgers made a remarkable recovery from the initial setback throughout the fall as he attempted to return to the lineup before Week 18 of the 2023 season. Once the Jets fell to 5-9 on the campaign, however, the future Hall of Famer playing in any type of game before August of this year became a risk not worth taking. 

Perhaps the most unexpected Jets-related story of the offseason involved independent 2024 presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. considering Rodgers to be his vice presidential running mate. Rodgers recently revealed that he "definitely thought about" the opportunity, but he acknowledged on Tuesday there was no way he could run alongside RFK Jr. while serving as a full-time NFL QB1. 

"I love Bobby," Rodgers said, according to Tyler Conway of Bleacher Report. "We had a couple really nice conversations. But there were really two options. It was retire and be his VP or keep playing, and I want to keep playing." 

Rodgers accepted a pay cut last summer to give the Jets some financial flexibility, and he hinted this past winter that he could continue playing for "four more years." As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk mentioned, though, there remain more questions than answers regarding how close Rodgers came to possibly retiring before he reported for springtime workouts. 

For now, the 40-year-old sounds committed to pursuing a second career Super Bowl ring through at least January 2025.