'The real Aaron Rodgers' saving his best for last with Jets

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Only two weeks ago, New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers was in such a rut that his short-term job security was in question for 24 hours. The "B" word -- bench -- was getting tossed around in the media until he received a public vote of confidence from interim coach Jeff Ulbrich.

Since then, Rodgers has delivered his two most prolific passing days of the season, altering the narrative. Suddenly, there's an upsurge in support from fans and some media types to run it back with Rodgers in 2025, proclaiming him their best "bridge" option at the position.

Things change quickly in the NFL. A player can go from toast to toast of the town in the time it takes to dissect one overmatched defense.

"He struggled with injury for a good part of the season, and, as he's starting to get healthier, you're starting to see Aaron Rodgers -- the real Aaron Rodgers," Ulbrich said Monday, adding that the 41-year-old quarterback still can play at least two more seasons.

If it were up to Ulbrich, Rodgers would be their quarterback in 2025, but we know Ulbrich probably won't be around. The Jets, who fired coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas earlier this season, will have a new leadership team and its No. 1 decision will be Rodgers.

A myriad of factors will go into that -- his age, salary cap, roster composition and other quarterback options, not to mention the new regime's comfort level with Rodgers' lightning-rod persona.

Of course, there's the football side of it. Is his recent resurgence real or just a late-season mirage?

In the last two games, a loss to the Miami Dolphins and a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Rodgers passed for 628 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions for a 76.8 total QBR -- sixth in the league. He rushed for a team-high 45 yards against the Jaguars, the most by any player in his 40s since Doug Flutie in 2003.

"I take a lot of pride in my minimal athleticism," he cracked, "but this is what I trained so hard for during those nine months."

For a change, his wheels are good -- three straight games without appearing on the injury report. Early in the season, he battled a sprained knee (occurred in Week 4), a sprained ankle (Week 5) and a significant hamstring strain (Week 7).

In retrospect, maybe he should've sat for a week or two to heal, but the Jets (4-10) were in a deep hole, and he refused to come out of the lineup. Clearly, his mobility was impacted by the injuries, reducing his ability to make improvisational plays -- once the hallmark of his game.

"Unfortunately, I went through a difficult stretch in the middle," Rodgers said during his weekly spot on the "Pat McAfee Show" on Tuesday. "That being said, if I'm out there, I expect to play well, so there's no excuses. ... But I was battling."

Sometimes teams fall into the trap of putting too much weight on late-season performances, especially teams out of playoff contention -- i.e. the pressure is off. Against the Jaguars, there was no stress (both teams eliminated) and the conditions were optimal for a big passing day.

The Jacksonville weather (73 degrees) was comfy and the opponent ranked last in yards allowed. Rodgers was under little duress, as his time-to-throw average was 3.18 seconds -- his longest of the season, per Next Gen Stats. He was hit only three times. He credited the offensive line for giving him "all day" in the pocket.

So, in a pristine pocket, with lovely Florida weather (same as the previous week in Miami), Rodgers passed for 289 yards and three touchdowns. It was the kind of performance that was expected from the outset, but he suffered a three-game stretch (Weeks 5-7) with six interceptions and a three-game streak (Weeks 10-13) where he failed to eclipse 200 yards -- some of the worst ball of his legendary career.

All told, Rodgers has eight interceptions, but only one in the last seven games.

"Some of [the interceptions] were bad decisions, but some of them were just tipped passes," wide receiver Allen Lazard said. "Twice this year the D-lineman dropped and caught it. They dropped on the exact play they were looking for -- the play of their careers."

He was referring to the Minnesota Vikings' Andrew Van Ginkel and the Seattle Seahawks' Leonard Williams, both of whom scored on long interception returns. Lazard was trying to say that Rodgers has been victimized by bad luck, but that would be an over-simplification.

After all, Rodgers is ranked 32nd out 34 qualified passers in completion percentage over expected (a career-low -4.8%) and he's struggling when under duress. Despite an uptick in overall efficiency, his completion rate under pressure in the last two games was only 37%, below the league average.

He will be challenged in the coming weeks, with cold-weather games against the Los Angeles Rams, Buffalo Bills and Dolphins. The Rams have won three straight and the Bills have one of the stingiest scoring defenses in the league.

Rodgers scoffed at the notion that he's auditioning for next season. "Ridiculous," he said recently. Publicly, Rodgers is saying he's undecided on whether to play a 21st season. If he does, his "first option" is the Jets, who may decide to go in another direction.

The sentiment around the organization the last two months is that he won't be asked to return for the final year of his contract. Who knows? Maybe he will be traded, though he'd have to sign off because he has a no-trade clause. His future will be a hot topic over the next few months.

"I think that's going to be a conversation between him and him," Ulbrich said. "If he maintains good health, he's a guy that I would love to see play longer just because he is such a special player."