FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers was in a reflective mood as he prepares for what could be his last game with the New York Jets.
And of his impressive 20-year NFL career.
“Yeah, of course,” Rodgers said when asked Wednesday if he has considered that the season finale Sunday against Miami could also be it for him. The 41-year-old quarterback insisted, though, he's not ready to make a call on his playing future.
“I just need a break mentally to kind of refresh and put my feet in the sand,” he said. “And see where I’m at after that.”
Still, he very much sounded as though he doesn't necessarily expect to be back with the Jets — even if he does want to continue playing.
“I mean, gratitude, honestly," Rodgers said of his time in New York, repeating that sentiment throughout his 10-minute chat with reporters. "It’s been the best two years of my life."
He called it a “perspective adjustment” that happened for him during his rehabilitation process from a torn Achilles tendon that limited him to just four snaps in his ballyhooed debut for the Jets last season. Rodgers said he fell in love with the game of football again after 18 years in Green Bay and cherishes the relationships he has made with teammates, coaches and others in the Jets organization.
“Obviously wish things would have gone better on the field,” he said. "But nothing but gratitude for this time in my life."
Rodgers came to the Jets in April 2023 in a trade from the Packers and immediately stoked optimism throughout the organization and fanbase that New York could go on a Super Bowl run. Or two. Or even more.
Instead, those dreams quickly dissolved with Rodgers' injury last season. And he has dealt with other injuries during a season that again began with high hopes, but has crumbled into one of the most disappointing in franchise history.
The Jets are 4-12, fired coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas — and Rodgers has only shown spurts of looking like a four-time MVP. He has also acknowledged that the team could release him after this season.
“I think there’s going to be change here and if I’m a part of the change, then I just want to make sure everybody knows that I have nothing but gratitude for my time here,” Rodgers said. "It’s been a great experience all around, and again, I’m disappointed about the performance of both myself and as a team, but really thankful for the opportunity.
“If I feel good coming back and they want to make another run at this, that’d be fantastic. But I’m not naive to the situation we’re in.”
After the 2022 season, Rodgers' future with the Packers was similarly uncertain and the quarterback was leaning toward retiring. He went on a darkness retreat in Oregon, where he spent four days in isolation and then emerged re-energized about playing and decided he wanted to join the Jets.
Rodgers will again take some time to process his thoughts during the offseason.
“Probably darkness again,” Rodgers said of his plans, before smiling. “No, I think I’m done with that. I won’t be doing any darkness retreats this offseason.”
But he will consider whether he truly wants to go through the physical and mental grind of another season. And he doesn't think a decision will drag deep into the offseason.
“March is free agency,” he said. “I don’t think we’re even going to get that far just because there’s going to be a regime change here, at least with the GM. And then whatever they end up doing, I’m sure I’ll either get a call or have a conversation, and go from there.”
Rodgers has one year remaining on his contract with a $2.5 million non-guaranteed base salary. He would also be due a $35 million option bonus before the regular season begins and count $23.5 million against the salary cap. So, that's something the new regime will need to consider.
If Rodgers is cut or retires, the Jets could absorb a $49 million dead money charge next year unless they designate him a June 1 cut and can spread out that charge over two years.
But that's all for down the road in the near future.
The present is all Rodgers is focused on right now — and the one certainty is that he knows he'll take the field at MetLife Stadium for the Jets on Sunday.
“This game has given me a lot,” Rodgers said. “I’ve given a lot back to it and I’m thankful for it. I’m not thinking (and) I won’t be thinking about that come game day. I’ll just be enjoying this. I’m trying to stay in the moment, but of course it’s been a long career.
“I’m really proud of what I’ve been able to be a part of, what I’ve been able to accomplish, and also looking forward to a nice mental and physical rest.”
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) looks to pass against the Buffalo Bills during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers talks with th media following an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, left, hugs teammate quarterback Tyrod Taylor (2) after a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday said he plans to tell the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stop recommending fluoridation in communities nationwide. Kennedy also said he’s assembling a task force to focus on the issue.
Also on Monday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced it is reviewing “new scientific information" on potential health risks of fluoride in drinking water. The EPA has primary authority to set the maximum level of fluoridation in public water systems.
Kennedy told The Associated Press of his plans after a news conference with EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin in Salt Lake City.
Kennedy can’t order communities to stop fluoridation, but he can tell the CDC to stop recommending it and work with the EPA to change the allowed amount.
Utah last month became the first state to ban fluoride in public drinking water, pushing past opposition from dentists and national health organizations who warned the move would lead to medical problems that disproportionately affect low-income communities.
Republican Gov. Spencer Cox signed legislation barring cities and communities from deciding whether to add the cavity-preventing mineral to their water systems. Water systems across the state must shut down their fluoridation systems by May 7.
Kennedy praised Utah for emerging as “the leader in making America healthy again.” He was flanked by Utah legislative leaders and the sponsor of the state’s fluoride law.
“I’m very, very proud of this state for being the first state to ban it, and I hope many more will,” he said.
Kennedy oversees the CDC, whose recommendations are widely followed but not mandatory. State and local governments decide whether to add fluoride to water and, if so, how much — as long as it doesn’t exceed a maximum set by the EPA, which is currently 4 milligrams per liter.
Zeldin said his agency was launching a renewed examination of scientific studies on the potential health risks of fluoride in drinking water to help inform any changes to the national standards.
“When this evaluation is completed, we will have an updated foundational scientific evaluation that will inform the agency’s future steps,” Zeldin said. “Secretary Kennedy has long been at the forefront of this issue. His advocacy was instrumental in our decision to review fluoride exposure risks, and we are committed to working alongside him, utilizing sound science as we advance our mission of protecting human health and the environment.”
Fluoride strengthens teeth and reduces cavities by replacing minerals lost during normal wear and tear, according to the CDC. In 1950, federal officials endorsed water fluoridation to prevent tooth decay, and in 1962 set guidelines for how much should be added to water.
Kennedy, a former environmental lawyer, has called fluoride a “dangerous neurotoxin” and said it has been associated with arthritis, bone breaks and thyroid disease. Some studies have suggested such links might exist, usually at higher-than-recommended fluoride levels, though some reviewers have questioned the quality of available evidence and said no definitive conclusions can be drawn.
In November, just days before the presidential election, Kennedy declared that Donald Trump would push to remove fluoride from drinking water on his first day as president. That didn't happen, but Trump later picked Kennedy to run the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where he has been expected to take some kind of action. Meanwhile, some localities have gone ahead and decisions whether to keep fluoridating water.
Related to all this: A massive round of staffing cuts last week across federal agencies included elimination of the CDC's 20-person Division of Oral Health. That office managed grants to local agencies to improve dental health and, in come cases, encourage fluoridation.
Fluoride can come from a number of sources, but drinking water is the main one for Americans, researchers say. Nearly two-thirds of the U.S. population gets fluoridated drinking water, according to CDC data. The addition of low levels of fluoride to drinking water was long considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century.
About one-third of community water systems — 17,000 out of 51,000 across the U.S. — serving more than 60% of the population fluoridated their water, according to a 2022 CDC analysis. The agency currently recommends 0.7 milligrams of fluoride per liter of water.
But over time, studies have documented potential problems. Too much fluoride has been associated with streaking or spots on teeth. Studies also have traced a link between excess fluoride and brain development.
A report last year by the federal government’s National Toxicology Program, which summarized studies conducted in Canada, China, India, Iran, Pakistan and Mexico, concluded that drinking water with more than 1.5 milligrams of fluoride per liter — more than twice the recommended level in the U.S. — was associated with lower IQs in kids.
Utah Oral Health Coalition chairperson Lorna Koci said Monday that she hopes other states push back against the removal of fluoride and that Kennedy’s visit to celebrate her state's fluoride ban underscores the political motivations of those who support it.
She predicted children will have more cavities as a result and said backers of the fluoride legislation in Utah spread false information that raised doubts about its effectiveness. Opponents of the law warned it would disproportionately affect low-income residents who may rely on public drinking water containing fluoride as their only source of preventative dental care.
“This seems to be less about fluoride and more about power,” Koci said.
Stobbe reported from New York. Associated Press writer Matthew Brown in Billings, Montana, contributed reporting,
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., right, arrives at University of Utah to discuss Utah's new fluoride ban and food additives legislation, Monday, April 7, 2025, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to appear in Salt Lake City with the EPA administrator and state lawmakers to talk about Utah's new fluoride ban and food additives legislation, Monday, April 7, 2025, in Salt Lake City, Utah. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to appear in Salt Lake City with the EPA administrator and state lawmakers to talk about Utah's new fluoride ban and food additives legislation, Monday, April 7, 2025, in Salt Lake City, Utah. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. exits a bus as he visits University of Utah to discuss Utah's new fluoride ban and food additives legislation, Monday, April 7, 2025, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to appear in Salt Lake City with the EPA administrator and state lawmakers to talk about Utah's new fluoride ban and food additives legislation, Monday, April 7, 2025, in Salt Lake City, Utah. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visits University of Utah to discuss Utah's new fluoride ban and food additives legislation, Monday, April 7, 2025, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visits University of Utah to discuss Utah's new fluoride ban and food additives legislation, Monday, April 7, 2025, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to appear in Salt Lake City with the EPA administrator and state lawmakers to talk about Utah's new fluoride ban and food additives legislation, Monday, April 7, 2025, in Salt Lake City, Utah. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)
