I think I speak for just about every NFL fan when I say that Aaron Rodgers’ recovery from his Achilles tendon tear in week one has been nothing short of a miracle.
We’re talking about an injury that typically takes up to a year to recover from, and has been known to even end careers at times, as some athletes are never able to fully shake the injury. Rodgers vowed to return this season, and sure enough, he’s officially been cleared to play in only a span of three months.
However, as the New York Jets have struggled all season with lackluster quarterback play, they officially have no shot at making the playoffs, turning the 2023 season into a wash. So, Rodgers won’t be making a comeback on the field this season, but promised on The Pat McAfee Show this week that he’ll be full go next year, and even plans to return the year after that:
“I’ve felt like when I came here, that I got kind of a renewed passion and love for the game, and everything has been amazing here…
I wanted at least two years, and I feel like this year is kind of a lost year now that I’ve only played a couple snaps, and wasn’t able to go out there and prove what I’m capable of, and show what we’re capable of as a team.
I don’t think next year will be my last year. With some of the things that I’ve learned over the last year, taking care of my body and surrounding myself with some great people who’ve been helping me with my nutrition and my functional training at a more acute level, I feel like I can play more years, and I can be effective into my 40s. Which is crazy because I thought I’d be sitting on a couch somewhere at 40, but I want to be a starter at 40, I want to be a starter at 41.”
But, it appears that not all of Rodgers’ teammates on the Jets are thrilled to have him back in uniform this season, considering he already said he’s not playing. According to Pro Football Talk, Jets fullback Nick Bawden was reportedly waived by the team to make room for Rodgers on the 53-man roster… even though he won’t be playing.
The only way Rodgers could practice with the team would be if he was on the 53-man roster, so that meant that somebody had to get the axe, with Bawden getting the short end of the stick on this one.
That would be a tough pill to swallow, considering Bawden actually… you know, plays. And people, looking for any reason to bash Aaron Rodgers, were outraged by the move.
Rodgers so selfish, gets a guy bounced and won’t even play. 🤮
— Nester Nester The Card Suggester 🇨🇦 (@Nesterp99) December 20, 2023
Imagine being told you're losing out on 13k because a 40 year old can't stop seeking attention.
— MaxJones (@MaxPi314) December 20, 2023
So a player gets cut for Rogers just to stand there and have fun throwing a ball on the sideline🤷🏻♂️
— Kev (@kvisaac) December 20, 2023
Imagine being that guy who gets cut just for Rodgers’ ego to say he came back so quickly from an Achilles injury
— Mike Inacio (@mike_inacio) December 20, 2023
Once again, Rodgers makes everything about himself while pretending to be about the team.
He is such a self serving fraud.
— Chip Weatherbee (he/him) (@chipweatherbee) December 20, 2023
@PatMcAfeeShow can we get Aaron’s explanation for losing a man his job for no reason?
— Brian Nelson (@BNelson30) December 21, 2023
However, Bawden’s wife, Alexis, took to her Instagram comments to clear the air.
One fan commented on one of her posts:
“Im so pissed they cut Nick. Hope they resign him”
And Alexis wrote back:
“He’s fine!! Haha will be back on the team tomorrow”
People who just found out who Nick Bawden is today: What Aaron Rodgers did to this young man is unforgivable. Just when you think he can’t sink any lower…
Nick Bawden’s wife: pic.twitter.com/rSakGrBsnP
— Danny Small (@dwsmall8) December 21, 2023
As Rich Cimini points out, the move was largely procedural, and he won’t lose any game checks over it.
Here's the deal with FB Nick Bawden, who was cut to make room for Aaron Rodgers: He will be added to the practice squad, then elevated if he's healthy (he missed practice yesterday with a knee injury). As a vested vet, his 2023 salary became guaranteed in Week 1, so it's not like…
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) December 21, 2023
Bawden scored the first touchdown of his career earlier this season and it resulted in a viral moment of his wife, Alexis, going crazy at the airport:
Jets fullback Nick Bawden scored the first touchdown of his 5-year NFL career vs the Patriots in Week 3.
The reaction from his wife Alexis is so wholesome 🥲🙌
(via alexisbawden/IG)pic.twitter.com/kGj8da0xui
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 9, 2023
Bawden was drafted by the Lions in 2018, but suffered a torn ACL in OTAs. He was picked up by the Jets in 2021, but has spent a lot of time injured.
