Aaron Rodgers wants to keep practicing with the Jets, even though he won’t play in 2023. As of Wednesday, Rodgers’s desire to be on the practice field cost a teammate his job.
To make room for Rodgers on the 53-man roster, the Jets waived veteran fullback Nick Bawden.
If Rodgers didn’t want to keep practicing, the Jets wouldn’t have had to release a player. Bawden will now head to waivers. If he’s unclaimed, he can sign with the Jets’ practice squad.
After, of course, they let someone else go.
That’s the ultimate cost of Rodgers’s desire to keep practicing but not playing. NFL rosters are a zero-sum game. For Rodgers to official remain at practice, someone had to go.
Some might wonder why Rodgers needs to be on the 53-man roster at all. He wants to practice in preparation for 2024. The real question is whether they could have found a way to get him the work without burning a roster spot.
If there was, the Jets opted not to pursue it. One of their roster spots for the rest of the season will be devoted to someone who won’t be playing. Since there’s no chance the Jets will be playing in the postseason, it doesn’t really matter.
Except to Nick Bawden, of course.