Aaron Rodgers: I Asked to Be Placed on IR by Jets amid Injury Rehab, Was 'Overruled'

New York Jets star Aaron Rodgers contended he didn't lobby for a spot on the active roster, which ultimately came at the cost of fullback Nick Bawden.

During The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday, he said he asked the team to be placed back on injured reserve but was "overruled" by Jets officials. The four-time MVP added he reached out personally to Bawden about getting cut.

As ESPN's Rich Cimini explained, the situation regarding Bawden wasn't quite as cut and dried as some initially framed it:

But the optics still weren't great, and this was bound to get framed as the Jets once again appeasing their star quarterback after they centered their entire offseason around his impending arrival.

Rodgers didn't exactly help his cause with how he continued to entertain what would've been an unprecedented return from a torn Achilles. All of the available evidence pointed to the impossibility of such a pursuit.

The Jets in turn held out the same hope of the 40-year-old playing again in 2023, only for him to ultimately rule out a comeback after all. The weeks of excited speculation came to nothing.

One idea behind getting Rodgers to play for even one or two games was that it would provide a potential springboard for 2024, when he'll be healthy again and the team might achieve something meaningful.

Now, New York not only missed that chance but also saw his full return to practice overshadowed by the cost of making it happen.