Billie Weiss/Getty Images

After missing virtually the entire 2023 season while recovering from a torn Achilles, New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers is extra motivated to be back on the field in 2024.

Jets head coach Robert Saleh told NFL Network’s Steve Wyche that while training camp is still months away, Rodgers is already preparing for his comeback.

“Aaron, he’s on a mission,” Saleh said at the league’s annual meetings on Sunday. “He’s doing his rehab. He’s out in California, I believe. Obviously he’s taking some time for himself. He was ready to go last year, man. So I know he’s getting ready. We speak to him often. I don’t want to speak for him, but I am going to speak for him and say that he’s really excited about attacking this season.”

Rodgers arrived in New York to much fanfare last offseason after his legendary run with the Green Bay Packers. While he was expected to make the Jets a Super Bowl contender following over a decade of futility, the team’s hopes were dashed when he tore his Achilles four plays into the season opener.

New York finished with a 7-10 record and missed the playoffs for the 13th straight year, the longest drought in any of the four major North American leagues.

The acquisition of Rodgers and other high-profile moves like a stint on HBO’s Hard Knocks made the Jets the darlings of last offseason. This time around, New York has flown under the radar with less splashy free agency moves, and Saleh thinks it will benefit the team.

“I think [general manager] Joe [Douglas] has done a really nice job adding some really cool pieces to the football team, but, yeah, quiet,” Saleh said of the team’s offseason so far. “Last year was a little loud. We welcome a little bit of quietness.”