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Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff Writer
Aaron Rodgers hasn’t played a down yet for the New York Jets, but his future became a talking point Friday at training camp, with coach Robert Saleh saying he’d be “shocked” if the star quarterback pulls a one-and-done.
“I don’t want to back him into a corner and make him commit to something like that,” Saleh said after practice. “I just want him to have fun and know that when he walks in this building to let loose and have a little bit of fun, B.S. with the guys, come in the office, come talk to us and just enjoy playing football.
“Odds are, if you enjoy playing football, you’re going to want to keep doing it. I wouldn’t put pressure on him to commit to something like that anyway, but I’d be shocked if he doesn’t play multiple years. He looks like a little kid out there.”
Rodgers, who turns 40 in December, has yet to commit to more than one season. On Thursday, in his first news conference of camp, he sounded like a player who wants to stick around beyond this season, praising the team’s young talent and roster composition.
“When you have so many great players on rookie deals, it’s pretty exciting, knowing you can do something,” Rodgers said. “You’ve got a good window. It’s not just a one-year thing where you can be competitive, which is fun.”
At his introductory news conference in April, Rodgers stopped short of a multiyear commitment, but he hinted at it by noting how much draft capital it cost to get him from the Green Bay Packers. The trade package included a 2023 second-round pick and a conditional 2024 second-rounder that becomes a first-round pick if he plays in 65% of the snaps.
Rodgers also has plenty of financial motivation to play in 2024. He has two years, $109 million remaining on his contract, which was restructured by the Packers to facilitate the trade. Currently, he is counting $1.2 million on the Jets’ 2023 cap and $107.6 million on the 2024 cap, though his contract is expected to be restructured again.