Aaron Rodgers reflects on age - 'Special' to still be playing - ESPN

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Aaron Rodgers' emotions will be swirling Thursday night in the New York Jets' home opener against the New England Patriots.

It will be his first game at MetLife Stadium since that fateful night last Sept. 11, when he tore his left Achilles on the fourth snap of the 2023 season. It also will be a night to appreciate his NFL longevity.

Rodgers, 40, is two years older than Patriots coach Jerod Mayo. Then, of course, there's Jets rookie running back Braelon Allen, 20, who last week became the youngest NFL player to score from scrimmage since 1930.

«It just gets a little weird when you're playing against head coaches you played against, and you're playing with guys that could be your kid,» Rodgers said Tuesday. «Yeah, it's a good reminder of how special it is to still be playing at 40.»

Mayo, a former Patriots linebacker, was drafted in 2008, three years after Rodgers was picked by the Green Bay Packers. They faced each other once as players, in 2010 — a game in which Mayo recorded 16 tackles in a losing effort.

Rodgers, the oldest player in the league, helped put Allen, the youngest player, in the history books last week in a 24-17 victory over the Tennessee Titans. Rodgers tossed a screen pass to Allen for a 12-yard touchdown and, in the fourth quarter, checked to a running play that resulted in a 20-yard scoring romp for Allen.

At 20 years, 239 days, Allen became the youngest since the merger (1970) to score more than one touchdown in a game. Rodgers has been watching him since 2021, when Allen was a freshman at Wisconsin.

«I joked around from the first time he sat down in front of me,» Rodgers said. «I knew who he was when he drafted him. I had heard about this 17-year-old kid playing at the