Jets' Robert Saleh on Aaron Rodgers Starting Preseason Finale: You Can't Coach Scared

New York Jets fans won't have to wait much longer for Aaron Rodgers' debut.

Jets coach Robert Saleh told reporters Rodgers will start Saturday's preseason finale against the Giants, saying the team did not want its Sept. 11 season opener to be his first time taking snaps in front of the home crowd.

"You can't coach scared, you can't play scared," Saleh said when asked if he was nervous about Rodgers being hurt in a preseason game. "You can slip getting out of the car and have something happen to you. Knock on wood, it will be fine. It's not uncommon [to play first string in the preseason], you can always play the hindsight, fearful game. It's in the best interest of our team to go out together and prepare for the season."

Rodgers has not played in a preseason game since 2018.

The Jets have given Zach Wilson extensive work through their first three preseason games and seen somewhat promising results. Wilson has thrown for 258 yards and a touchdown against an interception, limiting his turnovers while still failing to make a significant impact down the field.

Saleh did not say how much Rodgers and the first-team offense would play in the preseason finale, but it's hard to expect much more than a couple of drives of action. There is a major difference between getting reps and putting your 39-year-old quarterback at an unnecessary risk.

Rodgers was traded to the Jets this offseason in a move that was eerily similar to New York's acquisition of Brett Favre in 2008. At the time, that trade allowed a young Rodgers to ascend to the top of the Green Bay Packers' depth chart. Fifteen years later, the elder statesman Rodgers was shipped off the New York in favor of a younger quarterback in Jordan Love.

Much like those 2008 Jets and their acquisition of Favre, this 2023 group sees Rodgers as the missing piece of a Super Bowl core. Favre's 2008 season got off to a brilliant start before injuries derailed the second half of the campaign and led to a one-and-done situation in New York. Rodgers seems more committed to a multiyear agreement, but the Jets would be smart to limit his reps and avoid any unnecessary hits.