After 'much harder' camp, Jets' Aaron Rodgers has no preference whether he plays in preseason finale
Maybe Aaron Rodgers will play. Maybe he won't.
The New York Jets quarterback still isn't quite sure if he'll suit up for the preseason finale against the Giants on Saturday night. And Rodgers won't campaign to coach Robert Saleh one way or the other.
"I don't really have a preference," Rodgers said Tuesday after getting a veteran rest day along with several other projected starters.
Rodgers is expected to participate in the Jets' joint practice with the Giants on Wednesday. And if he doesn't play in the game, the practice session would serve as the final dress rehearsal before the regular-season opener at San Francisco on Sept. 9.
"Whether or not we play Saturday, who knows?" Rodgers said. "If Saleh wants us to, then we will. I don't know what he told you guys, but we haven't been told anything yet."
Saleh said Monday the coaches would discuss how they'd handle playing time for Rodgers and the starters after the joint practice.
"Most of these practices have been pretty (first-team) heavy," Rodgers said. "You know, we took a ton of the reps against Washington and then against Carolina. I assume it's going to be a lot of reps, probably situational stuff, probably a third-down period, probably some sort of red zone period, some sort of two-minute period. So there's good opportunities."
The 40-year-old Rodgers, entering his 20th NFL season, credited Saleh's game plan for this summer.
"I would say the camp is much harder this year and maybe the hardest in the last seven or eight of my career," Rodgers said. "I knew that. I had a little insight coming into camp that that's what Robert wanted to do. So I think it's been good for us."
Rodgers said the coach told him the starters have taken about 300 more snaps in practice this