The New York Jets' final preseason game is upon them. They'll face the New York Giants before finally turning the page to the regular season. Once again, the Jets are opting for caution with their key players.
Aaron Rodgers' return is upon us but it won’t begin until the regular season. Head coach Robert Saleh explained that the Jets won’t play him or other key starters against the Giants.
Robert Saleh says that the Jets will rest most of their starters in their preseason finale against the Giants:
“It's gonna be consistent with what we’ve done the first two games,” Saleh said of the plans for the Jets' starters. New York's big-name players didn’t play in the preseason wins against the Washington Commanders and Carolina Panthers. Although it will cost them in-game reps ahead of the season, the team clearly doesn’t want to risk injury, especially not with the veteran quarterback.
Jets will rest starters in final preseason game vs. Giants
Rodgers' return to the field after tearing his Achilles will be in Week 1 when the Jets hit the road to face the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football. Adrian Martinez and Andrew Peasley will respectively get to play the first and second halves against the Giants, Saleh said.
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Rodgers, who is about to begin his 20th NFL season, has looked good leading up to the 2024 campaign. “His mobility is plenty,” Saleh said. There’s bound to be some rust but the fact that he's ready to go again is good. Rodgers will be eager to play more than a few games with New York this time around.
The Giants are likely to take the same approach as the Jets and only play their fringe starters or young guys but not their key veterans, according to Dan Duggan of The Athletic. The other New York squad beat the Detroit Lions and lost to the Houston Texans in their first two preseason games.
