The trend in the NFL these days is to hold as many starters as possible out of the three preseason games. Teams are no longer willing to risk injury to their key players in meaningless games.
On Saturday, August 24, the New York Giants will be hosted by their MetLife Stadium co-tenants, the New York Jets, in the third and final week of the preseason.
As of now, it’s still unknown whether or not Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who missed all but the first four plays of the 2023 season due to injury, will be in the lineup.
Robert Saleh says that Aaron Rodgers will not play in the first two preseason games, but Rodgers and the Jets have not discussed if he would play at all in the third preseason game against the Giants: pic.twitter.com/FG33FsQvGn
— Jets Videos (@snyjets) July 30, 2024
“My instinct is no,” Jets head coach Robert Saleh said, “but I want to leave it open. That third game is the one where we’re deciding.”
Rodgers, however, was unaware of the plan to hold him out of any preseason games but will abide by the coach’s decision.
Aaron Rodgers said “it was news to me” when Robert Saleh said he wouldn’t play the first two preseason games. Said if Saleh wants him to play at all in the preseason he will. #Jets
— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) July 31, 2024
Rodgers suffered an Achilles injury on the Jets’ first possession of the regular season last year and missed the remainder of the season. He has returned this summer and has looked like the Rodgers of old, but the Jets may simply not want to press things by exposing the future Hall of Famer to unnecessary wear and tear.
Rodgers played in last season’s preseason game against the Giants, taking 10 snaps in the first quarter and hitting on five-of-eight passes for 47 yards and a touchdown. The Jets won, 32-24.
The Giants have not revealed any plans thus far when it comes to who will play — and how much — in the preseason.
