Will the New York Jets bench Aaron Rodgers?
Not even close, says interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich.
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After reports surfaced last week that the Jets might put Rodgers on injured reserve or even release him outright, Ulbrich said in his media availability on Monday that there have been no such discussions.
Ulbrich also denied the report that Rodgers refused medical scans to determine the severity of his injuries, specifically the hamstring injury he suffered against the Broncos in Week 4.
The report about placing Rodgers on IR came from Dianna Russini of The Athletic, while the report about the medical scans came from Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. There is a discrepancy between the general veracity of their reporting.
Therefore, while the former report may have been speculation from people within the organization, it’s possible that Rodgers’ refusal to have scans came after the Broncos game when Ulbrich was still just the defensive coordinator. He may not have been aware of what occurred on the offensive side of the ball.
Unlike in 2023, the Jets actually have a capable backup in Tyrod Taylor. Therefore, with nothing to play for at this point, putting Rodgers on IR to allow him to recover from his injuries makes sense in theory.
Still, that likely mutes the idea that the Jets are thinking of removing Rodgers as their starting quarterback, at least for now. Perhaps things may change if the quarterback suffers another lackluster performance and the team keeps losing.
For this week, at least, Rodgers remains the starting quarterback for the New York Jets.
