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Aaron Rodgers: When I step on the field, I expect greatness

The long wait for Aaron Rodgers to return to the Jets’ lineup is almost over.

Rodgers will quarterback the Jets when they take on the 49ers in Santa Clara on Monday night, marking his return to the game after tearing his Achilles tendon four snaps into the 2023 season. Rodgers has been rehabbing the injury and has faced questions about whether he can play at a high level again, leading to a question at a news conference on Thursday about whether he has a chip on his shoulder for the opener.

“How do you not? I’ve always played with something a little bit my shoulder,” Rodgers said, via SNY. “You have to fabricate things sometimes. It kind of goes back to proving it — who am I going to prove it to? Only myself at this point. I take a lot of pride in my accomplishments, so when I step on the field, I expect greatness. Because I’ve done it before and that’s kind of the standard I hold myself to.”

While Rodgers isn’t afraid to build things up as motivation, the quarterback also stressed the need to “prepare yourself for really step off the wave” of emotions that come up over the course of a football season. That may be his approach to the big picture, but getting snap No. 5 against the 49ers could still be the cause of a minor shock.