Sports

Jets' Aaron Rodgers has lofty expectations ahead of return to game action: 'I expect greatness'

Published

2 years ago

September 5, 2024

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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Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

Sports

Loyola wins Southern Section Division 1 lacrosse championship

Published

4 minutes ago

May 17, 2026

Press Room

Loyola wins Southern Section Division 1 lacrosse championship

There’s no denying that Loyola’s lacrosse program is best in Southern California and could be that way for years to come with the number of elite young players participating.

On Saturday night, the Cubs (16-3) won their latest Southern Section Division 1 championship with a 14-6 win over Santa Margarita. The Cubs have won three title since the sport was adopted as a championship event in the Southern Section. Defense has been Loyola’s strength all season.

Senior defenders Chase Hellie and Everett Rolph and junior goalkeeper William Russo led one of the best defenses in program history under coach Jimmy Borell.

Senior Cash Ginsberg finished with five goals and junior North Carolina commit Tripp King finished with two goals.

In girls Division 1, Mira Costa upset top-seeded Santa Margarita 12-6.

Sports

Napoleon Solo wins 151st Preakness Stakes

Published

11 hours ago

May 17, 2026

Press Room

Napoleon Solo wins 151st Preakness Stakes

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Napoleon Solo took home the 2026 Preakness Stakes on Saturday, the 151st running of the race.

The favorite in Taj Mahal, the 1 horse, was in the lead from the start until the final turn until Napoleon Solo made his move on the outside and took the lead at the top of the stretch. As Taj Mahal fell off, Iron Honor, the 9 horse, snuck up, but the effort ultimately was not enough.

Napoleon Solo opened at 8-1 and closed at 7-1. Iron Honor, at 8-1, finished second, with Chip Honcho fishing third after closing at 11-1. Ocelli, one of just three horses to run both the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago and Saturday’s Preakness, finished fourth at 8-1.

A Preakness branded starting gate is seen on track prior to the 151st Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park on May 16, 2026 in Laurel, Maryland. For the first and only time, Laurel Park is hosting the Preakness Stakes which is the second race of the Triple Crown jewel due to the traditional home of the race of the Pimlico Race Course undergoing complete renovations. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

A $1 exacta paid out $53.60, while a $1 trifecta brought in $597.10. But someone out there is very lucky, as a $1 superhighfive – picking the top-five finishers in order – paid out $12,015.70.

Even moreso, a 20-cent Pick 6 – picking the winners of the six consecutive races, with the final being the Preakness, paid out $33,842.34.

The race was run without the Kentucky Derby winner for the second year in a row. After Sovereignty did not run the Preakness last year – and wound up winning the Belmont Stakes – the training team of Golden Tempo opted to skip the Maryland race.

From 1960 to 2018, only three Derby winners did not run in the Preakness. Three Derby winners have skipped the Preakness in the last five years, and for the sixth time in eight years, for various reasons, the Triple Crown had already been impossible to accomplish by the time the Preakness even rolled around.

“I understand that fans of the sport or fans of the Triple Crown are disappointed, but the horse is not a machine,” Golden Tempo’s trainer, Cherie DeVaux, told Fox News Digital earlier this week.

Paco Lopez, right, atop Napoleon Solo, edges out Iron Honor, ridden by Flavien Prat, to win the 151st running of the Preakness Stakes horse race, Friday, May 15, 2026, at Laurel Park in Laurel, Maryland. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

CHERIE DEVAUX REFLECTS ON MAKING KENTUCKY DERBY HISTORY AS FIRST FEMALE TRAINER TO WIN THE RACE

Only three horses from two weeks ago – Ocelli, Robusta, and Incredibolt, were back at the Preakness. Corona de Oro, the 11 horse on Saturday, was scratched well ahead of the Derby, and Great White, who reared up and fell on his back after becoming startled shortly before entering the Derby gate, took the 13 post on Saturday.

The Preakness went off roughly 24 hours after a horse died following the completion of his very first race.

Hit Zero, trained by Brittany Russell, came into the race as the favorite. However, he finished last in the race, which was won by another one of Russell’s horses, Bold Fact — and upon crossing the finish line, Hit Zero reportedly began coughing, dropped to his knees, then put his head down and died.

The Preakness took place at Laurel Park as Pimlico undergoes renovations. It was the first time ever that Pimlico did not host the race, moving roughly 20 miles south.

Paco Lopez, atop Napoleon Solo, wins the 151st running of the Preakness Stakes horse race, Friday, May 15, 2026, at Laurel Park in Laurel, Maryland. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

The Belmont Stakes, the final Triple Crown race, will take place on June 6. The race will return to Saratoga for a third year in a row as Belmont Park continues to be renovated.

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