Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets have endured a brutal season that will conclude when the Jets host the Miami Dolphins in their Week 18 meeting. Aaron Rodgers is certainly hoping the Jets can end their season with their fifth victory of the season and he will try to avoid getting fined for delivering an illegal hit.
The quarterback has certainly been hit multiple times this season and throughout his career, but the tables were turned last week when Rodgers was flagged for a late hit on Christian Benford of the Buffalo Bills. Benford intercepted a Rodgers pass in Week 17 and after he was driven out of bounds on the return, Rodgers gave the Buffalo defensive back a two-handed shove. Officials threw a late-hit flag and Rodgers has been fined $11,255 by the NFL for his action, per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network.
The Jets quarterback has not been publicly fined by the NFL for any other illegal hit he may have delivered. Rodgers laughed about the penalty when it was announced during the game. It did not appear to be a violent shove, but it came after Benford had stepped out of bounds.
Rodgers has not delivered at his usual pace for Jets
The 41-year-old Rodgers had hoped to have a memorable and healthy season after his 2023 came to an end in the first quarter of his first game with the Jets due to a torn Achilles tendon.
While Rodgers has been able to remain in the lineup for the Jets throughout the season, the team has had multiple close losses that has left the team with another disappointing season.
The quarterback has been known for his stellar performances throughout his career with the Green Bay Packers, but he was unable to deliver the same kind of results with the Jets.
Rodgers has started all 16 games for the Jets this season. He has completed 345 of 548 passes for 3,623 yards with 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. While those numbers are fairly reasonable, they don’t compare with the kind of production he had with the Packers throughout the majority of his career.
Rodgers has acknowledged the downturn in his performance this season and he has not committed to going forward with his 21st NFL season. If he does continue, there are no guarantees he will be back with the Jets for the 2025 season.
The New York passing offense has been disappointing this season even though the Jets added Davante Adams during the season. The presence of Rodgers’ former top receiver with the Packers was expected to give the Jets a boost, but the team ranks 24th with an average of 306.3 yards per game.
