National Football League

Jets, Aaron Rodgers have all eyes on them. Can they survive brutal early stretch?

Updated Jul. 17, 2023 1:40 p.m. ET

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Martin Rogers

FOX Sports Insider

Aaron Rodgers speaks a lot of languages, and the New York Jets are about to get a taste of one of the more subtle ones.

The Green Bay Packers found out all about Rodgers' football love language, which boils down to how he likes to feel appreciated, doesn't like it if you draft his replacement, wants you to get him the receivers he feels happiest with and generally wants to feel special.

The public have come (somewhat) to grips with Rodgers' cryptic language, the type of talk he uses in interviews and talk-show appearances, and which leaves you often guessing as to what the heck he is actually saying — even when you've heard what he just said.

And then there is ASL — Aaron's Sign Language — the complex connection of his on-field gestures and subtle communications, motions, movements and hand signs that he utilizes to throw off defenses and give himself and his receivers an edge at the line of scrimmage.

It is the last of these that will soon come into play. According to reports out of New York, Rodgers has been given the all-clear to implement his own program of signals, essentially giving him the ability to switch plays, routes and options until the very last moment before the snap.

It is going to be fascinating to see how it shakes out. As we get to within a couple of months of the new campaign, the green part of the New York football-verse is on everyone's mind — and for good reason.

Rodgers is there, the Jets are about to be featured on "Hard Knocks" and there is just the simple reality that a legendary quarterback is leading a franchise that hasn't won a playoff game in 13 years.

Nothing much, it seems, can temper the excitement from Jets fans, but if one thing should provide a moment's pause, it is the brutally difficult start to the schedule that head coach Robert Saleh's team is faced with.

Try this out for size as a September-to-mid-October slate: Buffalo, at Dallas, New England, Kansas City, at Denver and Philadelphia. Ouch.

"Let's be realistic about this thing," Rodgers' former Packers teammate Greg Jennings said on "The Carton Show" last week, predicting a 1-5 start for New York. "When you look at the Jets schedule, you got the Bills, reigning division champs. That's the reality you're walking into. That's a loss, Week One.

"Week Two at Dallas, another loss. Then New England, this will be the year you (beat them), because you got Aaron Rodgers.

"Then you got the Super Bowl champ Chiefs, then the Broncos, who are a Super Bowl-contending team, in my opinion."

The Jets finish off the gauntlet that precedes their bye week with a home clash on FOX against the Philadelphia Eagles, who came so close to winning it all last season and who the Jets have never beaten. Ever. In 12 games from 1973 to 2021.

Admittedly, it gets dramatically easier from that point on. Despite his 1-5 prediction, Jennings believes the Jets could still make the postseason. But when you've got a QB who requires some acclimation from his supporting cast, the Jets might have preferred something a little more cuddly to begin the year with.

There's nothing much they can do about it, except to prepare for the new era as efficiently as possible. Mandatory practice starts this Wednesday and the topic of Rodgers' line of scrimmage alterations has become a significant source of chatter in the New York media. The Jets, it seems, are fully embracing it.

"It's something that he takes a lot of pride in, and it's something that we love to see because he takes advantage of certain areas on the field," offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett told reporters. "It definitely puts a little pressure on the wide receivers. If the quarterback sees an advantageous look for something, he'll give you something very quick, and you have to have your eyes on him and eyes on the ball."

Past Rodgers signals have involved things like the brush of his arm or a tap on the helmet. He ran weekly meetings in Green Bay that focused on hand signals. IN New York, he has old pals Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb on board and his receiving unit might be one he likes; a veteran group spiced up by reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year Garrett Wilson.

Aaron Rodgers is building connection with Jets

"We get some simple ones to start and then we'll start ramping them up once camp comes," Rodgers said recently, when asked about his signals. "Just ease into that, test them every single day. The fun part is in the walk-throughs to not just turn your brain off and be a robot."

Pop quizzes and football sign sessions are all part of it, some of which may get picked up on Hard Knocks, which Rodgers admitted last week he was less than delighted about, feeling the Jets' appearance had been forced upon them.

But it doesn't take the omnipresent cameras of the show to reinforce the notion that all eyes are on the Jets.

The receivers are looking at his signals, Rodgers is looking to prove he still has something spectacular left in the tank, and the rest of us watching what has suddenly become perhaps the most interesting situation in the NFL, full of optimism, obstacles, languages and intrigue.

Martin Rogers is a columnist for FOX Sports and the author of the FOX Sports Insider newsletter. Follow him on Twitter @MRogersFOX and subscribe to the daily newsletter.

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National Football League

New York Jets

Aaron Rodgers

Martin Rogers