Davante Adams stuck up for close friend Aaron Rodgers after another dismal outing for the New York Jets and said it would be “hard to envision him not playing” next season.
The Jets went into the season with genuine playoff aspirations and were even tipped by some as an outsider to win the Super Bowl with future Hall of Famer Rodgers expected to be a key piece of the jigsaw after overcoming an Achilles injury.
It has not panned out that way.
8️⃣ pic.twitter.com/Ro2shSzcOk
— New York Jets (@nyjets) December 29, 2024
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Jets bashed by Bills
Sunday’s dismal 40-14 loss to the Buffalo Bills saw the Jets slump to 4-12 for the season with Rodgers making way for back-up quarterback Tyrod Taylor at the start of the fourth quarter after completing just 12-of-18 passes for 112 yards and two interceptions.
The 41-year-old has now presided over 14 straight possessions without the Jets scoring a touchdown, leaving him stranded on 499 for his career.
It seems a parting of the ways is inevitable at the end of the season and it may result in retirement for the four-time NFL MVP.
“It’s kind of like the season just got away from us,” Rodgers said. “Too many games got away from us. This game got away from us. We were moving the ball well and then we just hit a wall. And that’s kind of the season.
“The two times we played [the Bills] this year, we moved the ball pretty well and just hurt ourselves.
“We scored more points in the first one [20]. But when you watch that first one back, we had plenty of chances to win the game. Today, we moved the ball well the first two drives [and got] no points, and after half the game got away from us.’’
You can’t blame him if he stepped away – Adams
Adams, who followed Rodgers to New York from the Green Bay Packers, said of the veteran quarterback: “For Aaron, a lot of this season has been plagued by injury. There have been some things he’s going through, and obviously he hasn’t been able to put his best product out there.
“It’s unfortunate. I think the competitor he is, based off the way the season is going, it would be hard for me to envision him not [playing]. But it’s not something I talk to him about. You’ve got to let people think about those type of situations.
“I think about what my future is like, and I ain’t 20 years into playing. If he were to step away, you can’t blame the guy. He’s put a lot into this and been one of the best quarterbacks to ever play this game. No matter what happens from this moment on, you can’t take that away from him.
“He’s 41 years old and playing this game at the level expected it’s not easy to do. I’m proud of him and I let him know that every time we’re together.”
Gardner questions Jets’ effort
While Adams was looking to the future, cornerback Sauce Gardner was more annoyed about the present, hinting some of the Jets players may already be thinking of the offseason.
He said: “You ask me, obviously we’re not going to the playoffs, some people might be checked out.
“That’s just me going off speculation.
“We enhanced our roster in all areas, so that just tells me – I don’t know, bro – we can’t be playing as a team.
“We’re probably just individuals. Last year and the year before, we had a roster that wasn’t as talented, but we found ways to win. So, what’s stopping that now with a more talented roster?”
