Is Aaron Rodgers playing this week? Latest update on Jets QB for Week 16 vs Commanders

Aaron Rodgers' season-ending injury was a gut punch for Jets fans in Week 1. However, with Week 16 upon us, it's put up or shut up time for the quarterback.

He has been openly hoping for and teasing a return all season long. Will No. 8 make his second Jets debut of the season this week? Here's an update on the status of the quarterback.

Put simply, the news is unfortunate. According to the New York Post, Jets head coach Robert Saleh declared on Wednesday that the quarterback would not be returning this year.

The news comes as a one-two punch. The second of the two punches is that the Jets have activated him, ending his 21-day window to return.

He will practice but he will not play. Despite fans and media hoping even for just a one-snap look at the quarterback, it appears that Rodgers will not get to give Jets fans even that.

Of course, the reasoning behind it is in the interest of mitigating all risks heading into 2024. Any calamitous result of him returning in a situation without a chance for a playoff push would be one of the most infamous events in sports history. Put simply, the Jets would rather not take the chance.

When will Aaron Rodgers return?

Aaron Rodgers at Jets-Dolphins Football

With the quarterback all but shut down this season, attention turns toward 2024 for Rodgers and the New York Jets. The Jets still have hopes of cashing in at least once for an all-in run at the Super Bowl.

At least, that's the short-term plan. However, the bigger question is whether the Jets risk rubbing Aaron Rodgers the wrong way by drafting a quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft.

If the team does not and they have a breakout season in 2024, followed by a Rodgers retirement, it wouldn't just take another full year to get back into draft position. It would also rob their next quarterback of a chance to learn from one of the most talented players in the history of the sport.

If the Jets don't draft their eventual successor to Aaron Rodgers in April, their next opportunity would likely come in the 2026 NFL Draft. This is because, in case of any competency from Rodgers, the odds of landing a first-round draft pick at the top of the order would seemingly be remote.

That said, trading for Aaron Rodgers was about winning now and procrastinating the future for later. Will the Jets skip drafting a quarterback in 2024?