Jets' Aaron Rodgers expects 'a lot of emotions' before playing in his 1st home game since his injury

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers is trying to not make too much of his MetLife Stadium homecoming.

But the New York Jets quarterback knows all eyes will be on him Thursday night when he faces the New England Patriots.

Rodgers has waited more than a year to play in another game in front of the home fans — and further push aside the overwhelming disappointment that marked his debut in the Big Apple spotlight last year.

“I mean, I feel good about it. It’s been a long time since I took the field at JetLife," Rodgers said, using his nickname for the stadium the Jets share with the Giants. “So, it'll be a lot of emotions, for sure. But we’re thankfully already into the third game of the season.

"Played two full games, body feels good, about as good as it can on a short week.”

The 40-year-old Rodgers has helped lead the Jets to a 1-1 start, but will be playing in his third game in 11 days when New York kicks off Thursday night.

“Yeah, testing the body for sure, but we love to play, so shorter time between games is great,” Rodgers said. “It’s definitely tough on the body, tough on the week, but easier for a guy who’s 20 than a guy who’s 40, but I’ll be ready to go Thursday night and look forward to three days off.”

It will mark Rodgers' first home game in which he'll play since Sept. 11, 2023, when he jogged onto the field carrying an American flag during the player introductions before the Jets faced the Buffalo Bills.

The crowd was electric, still buzzing about what seemed a magical moment when Rodgers went down four snaps into the game with a torn left Achilles tendon.

Rodgers briefly questioned whether he'd ever play again. Months of difficult rehabilitation followed. And now he'll be able to play at home again instead of watching from the sideline.

“If you love the game, there’s always emotion,” Rodgers said. "So there’ll be emotion this week, as there always is during the anthem and seeing our crowd and night games and the excitement driving up to the stadium and seeing the tailgates happening.

“It's always fun.”

In his first game since the injury, Rodgers appeared a bit rusty in New York's 32-19 loss at San Francisco, going 13 of 21 for 167 yards and a touchdown with an interception. The Jets couldn't get much going consistently, particularly because the defense had trouble getting off the field. With the game out of reach, Rodgers sat for the final drive.

Still, New York managed three touchdowns on offense.

Last Sunday, Rodgers and the offense were a tick better while beating the Titans 24-17 in Tennessee. Rodgers was 18 of 30 for 176 yards and two TDs with no interceptions. And the offense combined to score three touchdowns, marking the first time the Jets had three or more offensive TDs in their first two games since 2004.

“We’re looking at an offense that’s still trying to learn itself, find itself and it’s still able to generate scoring drives, more so than most teams in this organization’s past,” coach Robert Saleh said Monday. “So, it’s going in the right direction.”

Rodgers isn't nearly as mobile as he once was, but he has also been well protected by the Jets' revamped offensive line, which has allowed the quarterback to be sacked three times in two games.

“I mean, the pocket’s been pretty bucolic, I would say the first couple weeks,” Rodgers said. "It’s been real nice back there. Not many hits, not many sacks, a lot of time. Last week, I felt better than I did Week 1. It’s just confidence, just doing a couple things, escaping the pocket.

"The next thing will be making a big play outside the pocket, but it’s all stuff I’ve done in practice, I’ve done in training camp. I think it’s just doing more of it.”

And he'll get his next chance to do so in front of the home fans. Finally.

“Yeah, it’ll be fun to be out there with the crowd and, night games, I love night games,” Rodgers said. “So excited about it. No one’s real crazy about Thursday games, but everybody loves the weekend after the Thursday games.”

NOTES: The Jets held a walkthrough practice, but LB C.J. Mosley (toe) was listed as a non-participant and his status for the game is in question. ... RB Breece Hall (quadriceps) and CBs D.J. Reed (knee) and CB Michael Carter II (ankle) were listed as full participants.

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Dennis Waszak Jr., The Associated Press