Sports
Jets' Aaron Rodgers has lofty expectations ahead of return to game action: 'I expect greatness'
Aaron Rodgers is in a similar position heading into Week 1 as he was last season.
The New York Jets were playing on “Monday Night Football” against the Buffalo Bills, and they’ll do so against the San Francisco 49ers to kick off their 2024 season. But Rodgers, entering his 20th NFL season, wants to play more than he did that Monday night a year ago.
NFL fans know the story by now. Rodgers tore an Achilles on the fourth play of his debut with the Jets at MetLife Stadium, ending his season before it really got started. It crushed the Jets and their fan base.
Aaron Rodgers of the New York Jets during a game against the Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium Aug. 10, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (Perry Knotts/Getty Images)
Rodgers’ drive to continue playing quarterback didn’t waver, and he enters another year filled with expectations. So, what does the four-time MVP signal-caller expect from himself this year?
“I have a lot of pride in my performance, so when I take the field, I expect greatness because I’ve done it before,” Rodgers said before a Jets practice, via ESPN. “So, that’s the kind of standard I hold myself to.”
The 40-year-old is the oldest player in the NFL, but reports from camp have said he looks spry with his repaired Achilles, and he’s hooking up with his favorite target, Garrett Wilson, and newcomers like Mike Williams and rookie Malachi Corley consistently against one of the best defenses in the league.
JETS IN ‘COMPLETE DISARRAY,’ ACCORDING TO ANONYMOUS NFL AGENT: ‘VIBE INSIDE THE BUILDING IS TERRIBLE’
But all the hype and expectations that these training camp practices generate means nothing at this point. Rodgers wants to play a full season and win games.
He’s even at the point now where he jokes about what he’s going to do after the fourth offensive play in the Bay Area Monday night.
“There might be a little smirk after the fourth,” he joked.
It’s no secret Rodgers is the driving force of a Jets team hungry to break its 13-year playoff drought, the longest without a playoff game in professional sports in the country.
Aaron Rodgers of the New York Jets throws the ball during offseason workouts at Atlantic Health Jets Training Center June 4, 2024, in Florham Park, N.J. (Luke Hales/Getty Images)
So, even though Rodgers has a Super Bowl ring and MVP trophies, he still plays like he has something to prove.
“I’ve always kind of played with something on my shoulder,” he explained. “You have to manufacture things from time to time, but, yeah, I mean, it kind of goes back to the proving it. Who would I need to prove it to? Just myself at this point.”
Head coach Robert Saleh sees his quarterback in a “great place” heading into Week 1, where he’ll go against a team Saleh served as defensive coordinator for prior to taking the Jets job.
“Not just mentally, but physically he looks awesome,” Saleh said, via ESPN. “You guys have been there every day, and you see how well he looked, how good he looks. … He’s a professional. He’s done it a long time. He’s not a 40-year-old quarterback, so I think he’s just fine.”
Aaron Rodgers of the New York Jets during a game against the Washington Commanders during the preseason at MetLife Stadium Aug. 10, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Jets fans may collectively hold their breath during the team’s opening drive Monday night. They have every right to after 83,000-plus watched Rodgers limp off the field for good last season during Week 1.
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Sports
Anthony Richardson free to seek trade after injury setbacks amid Colts’ shift to Daniel Jones
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Anthony Richardson Sr.’s future in Indianapolis faces more uncertainty than ever.
The Indianapolis Colts granted Anthony Richardson, the team that used the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on the quarterback, permission to explore a trade. His agent, Deiric Jackson, confirmed the latest development in the 23-year-old’s tumultuous career to ESPN on Thursday.
Veteran quarterback Daniel Jones beat out Richardson in a preseason competition for the starting job. Jones made the most of another opportunity as an NFL starter, helping the Colts win eight of their first 10 games of the 2025 regular season.
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson heads off the field after an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 in Denver, Colorado. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
However, his season was ultimately derailed by an Achilles injury. The setback came two years after he tore an ACL with the New York Giants. The Colts appear ready to move forward with Jones, clouding Richardson’s future in Indianapolis.
Jones is set to become a free agent in March, meaning the Colts must either use the franchise tag or sign him to a new deal. Richardson has started just 15 games in three seasons with the Colts, his tenure largely shaped by injuries.
A shoulder surgery limited Richardson to four games during his rookie campaign, while a series of setbacks cost him four games in 2024.
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) looks for an open receiver during the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. (Troy Taormina/Imagn Images)
Richardson suffered what was described as a “freak pregame incident” during warmups last season, landing him on injured reserve after attempting just two passes in two games in 2025. He has thrown 11 touchdowns against 13 interceptions in his NFL career.
Colts general manager Chris Ballard said Tuesday that the vision problems stemming from Richardson’s orbital fracture last October are “trending in the right direction.” He added that Richardson has been “cleared to play.”
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) celebrates his touchdown against the New York Jets during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Brad Penner/Imagn Images)
Riley Leonard, a sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, is expected to return to the Colts next season.
When asked about Richardson’s standing with the Colts moving ahead, Ballard replied, “I still believe in Anthony.”
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Sports
Prep talk: Freshman golfer William Hudson of St. John Bosco wins Servite Invitational
William Hudson, a 14-year-old freshman golfer, shot 71 on Monday at Western Hills Country Club in Chino Hills to win the Servite Invitational.
“It was very important to me and my school,” Hudson said.
Some think it’s the first time a St. John Bosco student won an invitational title.
Hudson is a straight-A student who picked up his first golf club when he was 3. He has a daily routine involving practicing at 6 a.m. before heading to school. He’s also enrolled in a school entrepreneur program that involves taking classes at a junior college that will qualify for college credits.
“They are long days, but I get through it,” Hudson said.
He comes from a family that enjoys golf. His great-grandfather played until his death at 98 last year.
“I love how it can take me to interesting places and meet interesting people,” Hudson said. “I can play for the rest of my life. It’s a lifelong sport.”
It’s looking like another strong year for golfers in Southern California, with several individual champions returning, including Jaden Soong of St. Francis and Grant Leary of Crespi.
Now Hudson has thrust himself into the conversation.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
Sports
Dashcam video shows former WWE executive Vince McMahon rear-ending vehicle on Connecticut highway
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Police have released new video showing former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon speeding before crashing his 2024 Bentley Continental GT into another luxury car on a Connecticut highway last summer.
McMahon appeared to be followed by a state trooper in Westport moments ahead of the eventual collision. McMahon’s vehicle reached speeds of more than 100 mph, state police said.
A trooper’s dashcam video showed McMahon accelerating and then braking too late to avoid rear-ending a BMW. The car McMahon was driving then swerved into a guardrail and careened back across the highway. A cloud of dirt, apparently mixed with vehicle debris, was visible in the immediate area of the crash.
WWE owner Vince McMahon enters the arena during WrestleMania at AT&T Stadium on Apr 3, 2022 in Arlington, Texas. (Joe Camporeale/USA Today Sports)
“Why were you driving all over 100 mph?” a state trooper asked McMahon after catching up to the wrecked Bentley.
“I got my granddaughter’s birthday,” McMahon replied, explaining he was on his way to see her. The encounter was recorded on police bodycam video.
No serious injuries were reported in the July 24 crash, which happened the same day former professional wrestler Hulk Hogan died of a heart attack in Florida.
In an image taken from Connecticut State Police police bodycam video, Vince McMahon is questioned in his car after an accident on July 24, 2025, in Westport, Connecticut. (Connecticut State Police via The Associated Press)
Aside from the damage to the rear of the BMW, another vehicle driving on the opposite side of the parkway was struck by flying debris. The driver of that third car happened to be wearing a WWE shirt, police video suggested.
McMahon was cited for reckless driving and following too closely. In October, a state judge allowed him to enter a pretrial probation program that could erase the charges if he completes it successfully.
He was also ordered to make a $1,000 charitable contribution. His attorney, Mark Sherman, called the crash simply an “accident.”
“Not every car accident is a crime,” Sherman said. “Vince’s primary concern during this case was for the other drivers and is appreciative that the court saw this more of an accident than a crime that needed to be prosecuted.”
Vince McMahon attends a press conference to announce that WWE Wrestlemania 29 will be held at MetLife Stadium in 2013 at MetLife Stadium on Feb. 16, 2012 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Michael N. Todaro/Getty Images)
State police said a trooper was trying to catch up to McMahon on the parkway and clock his speed before pulling him over. They said the incident was not a pursuit, which happens when police chase someone trying to flee officers. They also said it did not appear McMahon was trying to escape.
“I’m trying to catch up to you, and you keep taking off,” State Police Det. Maxwell Robins said in the video.
“No, no no. I’m not trying to outrun you,” McMahon clarified.
An accident information summary provided to the media shortly after the crash did not mention that a trooper was following McMahon.
The trooper’s bodycam video also shows him asking McMahon whether he was looking at his phone when the crash happened. McMahon said he was not and added he hadn’t driven his car in a long time.
After Robins tells McMahon that his car is fast, McMahon replies, “Yeah, too (expletive) fast.”
Fox News Digital submitted a public records request to obtain the police video, which was first acquired by The Sun.
McMahon stepped down as WWE’s CEO in 2022 amid a company investigation into sexual misconduct allegations. He also resigned as executive chairman of the board of directors of TKO Group Holdings, the parent company of WWE, in 2024, a day after a former WWE employee filed a sexual abuse lawsuit against him. McMahon has denied the allegations. The lawsuit remains pending.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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