“I think so,” he said Wednesday, 19 days before his 41st birthday.
It wasn’t a resounding yes, perhaps because he knows organizational changes in the offseason could affect his decision.
Rodgers, who said last offseason that he hopes to play “two, three, four more years,” indicated the team’s disappointing season (3-7) hasn’t changed his feelings.
“Not really, not because of the negative,” he said. “Not really, no.”
Rodgers, returning from Achilles tendon surgery, has battled hamstring, knee and ankle injuries but has not missed a snap due to injury. The four-time MVP, however, has not played at his usual level. He ranks 24th among 32 qualified passers in total QBR (52.0), with 15 touchdown passes, 7 interceptions and a career-low 6.4 yards per attempt.
“I’m not playing as well as I would have liked, for sure,” he said. “The beauty of this game is that it’s a team game. The frustrating part is that if you’re a great competitor, you hold yourself to a standard that’s not unrealistic, and I haven’t met that standard this year.”
Rodgers is under contract through 2025, but no part of his compensation is guaranteed at this time. To bring him back, the Jets would have to exercise a $35 million option bonus. He also has a base salary of $2.5 million. His salary charge would be a manageable $23.5 million.
Rodgers expressed optimism, saying “the verdict is still out on this season.” The Jets, coming off a 31-6 drubbing by the Arizona Cardinals, face the Indianapolis Colts (4-6) on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.
The Jets are 1-4 since firing Robert Saleh and replacing him with Jeff Ulbrich as interim coach. Ulbrich, who also serves as defensive coordinator, received a strong endorsement from Rodgers.
“I feel like he’s done some really good things,” Rodgers said. “I think Brick is an NFL head coach, whether in the future or in the future. I mean, he’s a leader of men and I’ll be by his side. I would love to play for him until the end. Much love and respect for him.”
Rodgers delivered a similar vote of confidence to Saleh late last season, and it carried a lot of weight with the owners, who retained Saleh after a second straight 7-10 finish. Part of the idea was that the team, with a healthy Rodgers, would bounce back strongly. That has not happened and now there could be a new coach and general director in 2025.
Rodgers, going 3-7 for the first time in his 20-year career, has “100 percent supported the entire staff and the entire team in fixing this issue,” Ulbrich said, adding that Rodgers is suggesting “small adjustments here and there”. “on game planning and programming.
Ulbrich is taking a back-to-basics approach this week, calling for practices with full pads to improve the Jets’ shoddy tackling. There were 20 missed tackles against the Cardinals, according to Next Gen Stats. On Wednesday he held a tackle presentation for the entire team, not just the defense.
He also made a change to the defensive lineup, benching safety Tony Adams this week, a source said. It’s a surprising move, considering Adams, a two-year starter, is the Jets’ third-leading tackler.
“We’re going to go back to the fundamentals and the basics,” Ulbrich said, adding, “That’s something we can and will improve.” Rodgers applauded the approach.
“It’s a wake-up call for all of us,” he said. “Any time you lose in general, but when you lose the way we lost this year, I think you have to review the process… and if it doesn’t result in the performance you want, and this is for all of us, including myself , then modifications have to be made.”
