Will Aaron Rodgers return before the end of the season?

New York Jets quarterback Zack Wilson has finally been benched as the Jets sit in third place in the AFC East (4-6). Unfortunately for the Jets, it’s not yet Aaron Rodgers who’s coming in to start, but veteran Tim Boyle. Boyle started the season on the practice squad. Now, he’ll be the starter, Trevor Sieman will be the backup, and Wilson has been relegated to third string. Boyle will make his start for the Jets’ Black Friday game against the AFC East no. 1 team, the Miami Dolphins.

What is Zach Wilson’s record with the Jets?

Wilson has an 11-20 record as the Jets starter since he was selected No. 2 overall in 2021. The Jets thought this season would be a perfect opportunity for him to learn from Aaron Rodgers, but as we know, that didn’t go as planned. With Rodgers’ Achilles tear earlier this season, Wilson was forced into the starting lineup almost immediately.

“Sympathetically, when you look at Zach, he’s never had an opportunity to watch someone play the position,” said Jets coach Robert Saleh. “Joe Flacco was fantastic, Mike White did some good things, but to just sit back and watch from the ground up...that was his opportunity with Aaron, and four plays in, he is back in the starting lineup.”

This season, Wilson has thrown for 1,944 yards for six touchdowns to seven interceptions and has been sacked 38 times. He was pulled out of the game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday late in the third quarter - a game they lost 32-6.

As for Wilson’s future with the Jets? Saleh said they will determine that at the end of the season, but have no plans of releasing him mid-season.

Will Aaron Rodgers return before the end of the season?

At first, an Aaron Rodgers return seemed impossible. No one injures their Achilles and comes back from it in the same season. But four plays into a season is pretty early and Rodgers is being treated by some of the best sports doctors in the nation. Thus, his return will be completely dependent on getting clearance from those doctors.

“Until he is cleared by doctors, all [talk of him returning in December] is a moot point,” said Saleh.

That clearance does seem like a possibility all of a sudden, though. And once he is cleared, it will be a Rodgers decision, 100%.

“Aaron’s a big boy, a grown man, and no one’s going to know Aaron’s body like Aaron knows his body,” Saleh said. “And if he feels, after all the doctors clear him - and I’m sure there’s a million of them, I have no idea on that stuff - but if Aaron says he wants to play, he’s going to play.”

Whether or not it’s actually a good idea for Rodgers to start that quickly is another story, but if the Jets hope to make a late playoff run, Rodgers may just be the only hope they have, and it looks like they trust him to make that decision.

Tim Boyle’s Stats

And what about Tim Boyle? He’ll make his start on Friday, but it’s not yet clear if that will extend past that game or not. Saleh said it was to give him the opportunity “and see if we can do something on offense”. And yet, the outlook does not look much brighter with Wilson on the bench.

In his NFL career, Boyle has started three games, all in 2021 with the Detroit Lions. In 18 appearances, he has completed 60.8% of his 120 pass attempts for 607 yards, three touchdowns and nine interceptions. On Sunday, when he came in for Wilson, he went 7-of-14 for 33 yards and an interception.

Although this move is unlikely to save the Jets, they really did have to do something. They have already made several changes, including moving offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett to the coaches’ booth, adding in some rookies, cutting running back Michael Carter - nothing was doing the trick to improve the offense. And so, Boyle makes the Jets’ sixth quarterback to log a snap since Wilson was drafted second overall in the first round in 2021.