After Sunday's loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Jets interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich was peppered with questions about the near-term future of QB Aaron Rodgers. Specifically, if he is contemplating a change.
On Monday, there were more questions and Ulbrich had his answer.
"He's our quarterback," Ulbrich said of Rodgers on the morning after the Jets' 26-21 loss to the Seahawks at MetLife Stadium. The loss was the third straight for the Green & White (3-9) and eighth in the past nine games
"We have great belief in Aaron," Ulbrich said. "We really do, and we think he gives us the best opportunity to win. After assessing yesterday's game, I thought there were moments in the first half where you saw Aaron Rodgers. I thought there were moments, even in the second half, where you saw Aaron Rodgers and then there were moments that he didn't play to his standard and he'd tell you the same. So we believe that he gives us the best opportunity to win, so he's our quarterback."
Rodgers completed 21-of-39 passes for 185 yards, a pair first-half touchdowns and an interception. Davante Adams had 5 catches for 66 yards and a touchdown. Garrett Wilson caught 5 passes for 41 yards, but an errant pass from Rodgers intended for a wide-open Wilson in the end zone midway through the second quarter immediately came back to haunt the Jets. On the next play, Leonard Williams intercepted a pass and returned it 92 yards for a TD. Rodgers conceded after the game that the 2-play sequence flipped the momentum to the Seahawks (7-5).
With five games to go in the 2024 regular season, Ulbrich said he plans to stick with Rodgers, who turned 41 on Monday, for the rest of the season.
"Well, the games where he was truly healthy, go back to the second Patriots game [a 25-22 loss] and then this game, I thought you started to see his mobility come back," Ulbrich said. "Obviously, I think injury has a lot to do with what his numbers are this season. He's battled through a lot of things [ankle, hamstring and knee ailments], regardless of your age, what he's had is something that some guys in this league may not play with, so he's a tough guy and he feels a high-level accountability to his teammates. That's why he's out there every week for us and we believe as he gets healthier and his mobility starts to improve, I think you're going to see a better and better version of him."
After putting up 21 points in the first half, the Jets were held scoreless in the second half, for the third time this season. They had only 10 plays in the third quarter and 16 in the fourth, but still had an opportunity to snatch the victory late in the fourth quarter.
Starting at their 28-yard line with 5:25 to play, the Jets got a first down. But then an illegal shift penalty and a Williams sack of 11 yards left Rodgers and the offense facing third-and-26 from their 30. Rodgers then found rookie RB Isaiah Davis for 24 yards and connected with Adams for 5 yards and a first down on fourth down. A series of short passes got the ball to the Seattle 29 with 1:22 to go, but another Williams sack and an incomplete pass intended for Wilson on fourth down ended the drive.
"It's disappointing," Rodgers said. "What else can you say? We've had a lot of chances in these situations, a lot of these games come down to one play, whether you make it or miss. Sometimes that play happens in the second quarter. You make that play, 28-7, different ballgame."
Sunday's last-gasp drive was the fifth time Rodgers and the offense had a chance to escape with a victory, or tie a game. The Jets have lost all five.
Asked if he harbors any doubt that Rodgers can still perform at a high level, Ulbrich said: "I don't because I see enough evidence on tape of him still being capable of playing high level football for us."
