Jets expecting Rodgers to stay in NY awhile
No. 1 pick Young signs with Panthers
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Aaron Rodgers might be sticking around with the New York Jets a bit longer than many first thought.
The 39-year-old quarterback has not committed to playing football beyond this season, but he has strongly hinted several times his first year with the Jets won’t be his last.
Rodgers reiterated that sentiment Friday during an appearance on the “DiPietro & Rothenberg” show on ESPN Radio in New York.
“The Jets gave up a lot for me, so to play just one year, I think, would be a disservice,” Rodgers said. “Now if that one year turns out to be a magical year, who knows? It’s more than that, it’s how my body feels.”
In other words, a run to the Super Bowl could change all that.
But short of that, the Jets expect Rodgers to be under center next season — and perhaps beyond.
“I would be shocked if he didn’t play multiple years,” coach Robert Saleh said. “I mean, he looks like a little kid out there.”
Rodgers said in the radio interview a tweaked diet and training regiment has his body feeling “really, really good” at this point in the year.
“Talk to me in three or four months, we’ll see how it feels,” he said.
PANTHERS: No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young has agreed to a four-year contract, the team announced Friday. The Associated Press reports the fully guaranteed deal is worth $37.9 million. The team didn’t announce contract details.
The deal comes just four days before the Panthers are to report to training camp in Spartanburg, South Carolina. All of Carolina’s draft picks are now under contract heading to camp.
Young took over first-team reps in OTAs and is tracking to be the team’s Week 1 starter.
GIANTS: With less than a week until the opening of training camp, New York signed running back James Robinson and receiver Cole Beasley. The team didn’t disclose details of the deals.
The addition of Robinson provides depth at running back and insurance in case of any potential holdout for star Saquon Barkley. Barkley was unable to get a new contract from the Giants ahead of this week’s deadline for players on a franchise tag to reach multiyear deals.
RAVENS: Baltimore agreed to a one-year deal with running back Melvin Gordon, pending a physical.
The Ravens announced the move on Friday, the same day they put running back J.K. Dobbins and fullback Patrick Ricard on the physically-unable-to-perform list.
The 30-year-old Gordon spent his past three seasons with the Denver Broncos. He ran for a career-low 318 yards on 90 carries in 10 games in 2022.
COMMANDERS: New owner Josh Harris knows he has plenty of work to do with the team, but he didn’t offer many specifics Friday. Before speaking to a FedEx field pep rally, he briefly took questions from reporters, saying his immediate priority isn’t changing the team’s name or its stadium, but improving the fan experience at the team’s current venue.
“Right now, that’s going to be things like ingress and egress and food,” he said.
FedEx Field, which sits right next to the Capital Beltway, has been plagued by traffic issues, and there was even a railing collapse last year after a game against Philadelphia in which fans fell onto the field.
“We’re going to throw a party every other Sunday, and when you have guests in your house, you treat them well,” Harris said. “You don’t have couches that are broken, you don’t have TVs that aren’t working.”
BROWNS: Receiver Marquise Goodwin will miss the start of his first training camp with Cleveland due to blood clots in his legs and lungs. He signed a free agent deal with the club in February, giving quarterback Deshaun Watson a much-needed deep threat.