Aaron Rodgers made a surprising push to come back from a September Achilles surgery last season. That predictably ended without the Jets quarterback suiting up again. Robert Saleh is now planning to keep his starter on ice until the games count again. The fourth-year Jets HC said he does not expect Rodgers to play during the preseason, though he noted (via the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy) he is still deciding with regards to his QB’s participation in the team’s preseason finale. Rodgers sat out the first two Jets preseason games last year but received some work — after pushing Saleh for a chance to suit up, despite not having previously played in the preseason since 2018 — in the third contest. Teams generally park their starters for the third preseason game, and while it would be interesting to see how Rodgers looks post-surgery, it currently appears Week 1 will be his first appearance.
Here is the latest from the AFC East:
- Haason Reddick‘s holdout has become much costlier. In addition to the $50K-per-day fines the recently acquired Jets pass rusher is accumulating, a $300K penalty is expected to come his way due to a CBA wrinkle. As veteran NFL reporter Josina Anderson points out, Reddick can be fined up to 15% of his signing bonus. The Jets are not obligated to go after that money but could. They will levy the fines, Saleh assumes (via SNY’s Connor Hughes). A report last week suggested the sides were moving closer to ending this holdout, but it persists.
- Joining Matt Judon as a contract-seeking Patriots defender, Davon Godchaux is not practicing fully. The veteran defensive tackle is protesting his deal by staging what appears to be a partial hold-in, per the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin, who notes Godchaux went through some drills at Pats practice Tuesday. Unlike Judon’s situation, which has escalated, this has not become acrimonious just yet. A 2025 free agent-to-be, Godchaux is tied to a two-year, $20.8MM deal that calls for a $7.15MM base salary. As the Patriots have paid several key players, Godchaux did not participate in minicamp and has angled for what would be his second extension with the team.
- Shaquil Barrett‘s retirement caught his agent and the Dolphins by surprise. Drew Rosenhaus said the veteran edge rusher had been considering it for a while. Barrett, 32, alluded to spending more time with his family. Rosenhaus mentioned the tragedy the two-time Super Bowl winner endured last year, when Barrett’s 2-year-old daughter drowned in the family’s pool, during an interview with WSVN’s Donovan Campbell (via the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson). While Barrett returned for a final Buccaneers season after that tragedy, he is not planning to play an 11th season. Though, Rosenhaus did not rule out a comeback later this year. The Dolphins circled back to Emmanuel Ogbah in the wake of Barrett’s decision.
- The Dolphins finished last season down several linebackers due to injury. One of them, Cameron Goode, is not expected to be back by Week 1, Jackson adds. The torn patella tendon the 2022 seventh-round pick sustained in Week 17 led him to the Dolphins’ active/PUP list. It would not surprise to see him transferred to the reserve/PUP list, which requires a four-game absence, next month. Goode joined Jaelan Phillips, Bradley Chubb, Andrew Van Ginkel and Jerome Baker in being out for Miami’s wild-card game last season. Chubb and Phillips remain on Miami’s PUP list.
- The Bills entered camp with three players — Mike Edwards, Damar Hamlin and second-rounder Cole Bishop — competing to start alongside Taylor Rapp, The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia notes (subscription required). Rapp spent much of last season behind longtime starters Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer but re-signed as the team went through a spate of cap cuts. Hamlin, who is on Buffalo’s roster bubble figures to see more first-unit time due to recent injuries to Edwards and Bishop. Edwards is week-to-week with a hamstring ailment, per Buscaglia, while Bishop left Tuesday’s practice. These setbacks led the Bills to bring in 36-year-old veteran Kareem Jackson on Tuesday.