Aaron Rodgers on earning first win as Jets quarterback: 'It's been a long time coming for me'

Aaron Rodgers' first year as a member of the New York Jets didn't go as expected, or as the team hoped, with the veteran quarterback going down with a season-ending Achilles injury just four snaps into the 2023 season. Rodgers' first game of the 2024 season also didn't go as the team hoped, losing 32-19 to the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers, but losing the game was a lot better for New York than losing its quarterback for the season.

It took a week, but the Jets and their fans finally got a game completely led by Rodgers that ended in a Jets win. New York won its first game last season, and as the starter, Rodgers was credited with the win. Yet it was a much different scenario considering he only played four snaps of the matchup.

The Jets defeated the Tennessee Titans 24-17 at Nissan Stadium to improve to 1-1 on the young 2024 season. When asked how it feels to win his first game as a Jet, Rodgers joked, saying, "technically my second," if we include the game he played just a few snaps in.

"It feels like it's been a long time," Rodgers said with a smile. "It's been a long time coming for me to be a part of a game like this."

The game was tied at 17 points each with just over eight minutes to go in the fourth quarter. The Jets marched down the field, going 74 yards on seven plays with just over four minutes left to make it 24-17, where the score would remain.

It was then up to the Jets defense to make a big stop. On third-and-goal at the 8-yard line, Titans quarterback Will Levis was sacked for a loss of six yards, forcing a fourth-and-goal that ended in an incomplete pass and a turnover on downs.

Rodgers commented on how it felt to seal the game and line up in victory formation and gave credit to the defense for its performance. The unit forced two turnovers, a fumble and an interception, and sacked the opposing quarterback four times for a loss of 22 yards. 

"To be able to take a knee at the end is something special," Rodgers said. "Proud of our defense, they made some big plays in the first half when we were really sputtering and got the ball back twice and we finally started putting a few things together. Still there's a lot to improve on, but this feels really good."

Rodgers went on to thank the rest of his teammates, as well as those in the stands wearing Gotham green.

"I'm thankful for the guys, I'm thankful for our fans that traveled. Incredible fanbase, I mean they were loud, especially on the last fourth down," he said.

The 40-year-old is coming off a serious injury, so getting back to the field and being able to perform at the NFL level is no easy feat. 

"There's so many people that have helped me get to this point right now that I have just so much gratitude for. I love this game. I love being back out here and I love being apart of this team," he said. 

Rodgers went 18 of 30 for 176 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, compared to last week, when he went 13 of 21 with 167 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Rodgers admitted that the Jets offense still has a lot to work on 

"That's a great defense and we hurt ourselves a lot. There are a lot of things that we did in Week 1, we didn't do in Week 2, but when we had to have a drive to win the game we came up big," he said. "So I'm proud of our guys who had a lot of grit, a lot of toughness. It's a long season. We gotta get healthy the next couple days and figure out how to get another win."

Rodgers can win his first home game as the Jets quarterback next week when they host the New England Patriots in an AFC East battle on Thursday night.