EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ — New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers put on a show and made history in what could be his final NFL appearance against the Miami Dolphins yesterday, Sunday, January 5th, at MetLife Stadium. He threw his 500th career touchdown pass, to go along with four total TDs in the Jets’ 32-20 win.
Rodgers, 41, joined an elite company as just the fifth player in NFL history to throw 500 touchdown passes or more. Ironically enough, next up on the list is his old teammate with the Green Bay Packers, Brett Favre at 506 TD passes. Rodgers’ four touchdowns yesterday put him at 503 which trails Favre by three touchdowns. Peyton Manning (539), Drew Brees (571), and Tom Brady (649) are also in the 500 TD club.
The four-time MVP looked like his vintage self in the win, dropping dimes on the run, while going 23/36 with 274 yards and a deflected interception that wasn’t on him.
Regarding his 500th career touchdown, which was caught by Jets’ tight end Tyler Conklin, Rodgers said, “It was kind of like an old school red-zone touchdown like we did for so long in Green Bay.”
Aaron Rodgers’ 500th career touchdown ball immediately got authenticated following the Jets’ scoring drive in the second quarter of Sunday’s win over Miami – Image Credit: NFL
Good moments have been few and far between for the Jets this season. An extremely challenging year to say the least with the firing of head coach, Robert Saleh, and general manager, Joe Douglas. The results weren’t there all season and even with the win, the Jets still finished 5-12. On the other side of the field, the Dolphins went 8-9 and missed the playoffs by two games.
Latinos on Both Sides: Alijah Vera-Tucker and Braxton Berrios
One of the lone bright spots for the Jets this season was the play from Mexican-American right guard Alijah Vera-Tucker. Vera-Tucker, 25, has been one of the best right guards in the NFL with a minuscule pressure rate of 4.3 percent which is third amongst all guards and he has also been one of the best run blockers in the league per NFL Next Gen Stats.
He had freak injuries the last two seasons, both coincidentally against the Denver Broncos — suffering a torn tricep in 2022 and a torn Achilles tendon in 2023, just like Rodgers, but was able to start 15 games this year, marking the first time since his rookie season. Vera-Tucker missed two games due to a high ankle sprain. It bothered him since week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers per Brian Costello of the NY Post.
Mexican-American right-guard Alijah Vera-Tucker, a bright spot for the Jets this season – Image Credit: NFL
The four-year veteran should go into the offseason holding his head high as the former first-round pick from 2021 has lived up to all expectations when healthy.
On the opposing sideline of Sunday’s contest in East Rutherford, there stood a Latino in Dolphins’ Puerto Rican wide receiver Braxton Berrios, who was unable to suit up due to a season-ending ACL injury suffered back in Week 7. Berrios, 29, a former Jet, playing with them from 2019-2022, was a first-team All-Pro as a kick returner in 2021 and scored one kick return touchdown that season. He is a versatile player who can not only catch passes but also take a few reverse handoffs from time to time.
Braxton Berrios, a proud Puerto Rican who is living out his dream of playing in the NFL – Image Credit: Getty Images
Throughout his seven-year career, debuting with the New England Patriots in 2018, Berrios has recorded 11 total touchdowns in the pros. He continues to make all Puerto Ricans proud by representing his heritage through on-and-off field initiatives set out by the NFL and the Dolphins.
Postgame Press Conference with Jets Head Coach Jeff Ulbrich and QB Aaron Rodgers
The mood in the postgame was better because of the victory, but the failure of this season should not be lost. Jeff Ulbrich was hired as the interim head coach after Week 5, with the Jets at 2-3. He proceeded to go 3-9 and his once effective defense slipped once he had to manage coordinating the offense and being the head coach. After Sunday’s win, Latino Sports asked Ulbrich why the defense dropped from 12th (20.9 ppg) to 21st (23.8 ppg) and gave up five fourth-quarter leads that all resulted in losses.
You can watch our Jets postgame press conference footage with Jeff Ulbrich on our Twitter/X – Image Credit: Latino Sports
Ulbrich explained that there were a lot of different factors that contributed to the defensive drop but he declined to get into specifics. Later on, he praised safety Ashtyn Davis, who had a two-interception performance.
With many wondering if Sunday was his final NFL game played, the future NFL Hall of Famer Rodgers spent over 10 minutes talking to the media in the postgame. He took pride in playing 17 games despite being banged up at times, and thanked everyone who made that possible.
Aaron Rodgers was grateful during Sunday’s postgame press conference, thanking all who helped him along the way this season – Image Credit: Latino Sports
“This feels like I just need to get away and also see what they’re into, what they’re thinking, and then take time for myself.”
If Rodgers does want to play again, he has made it clear that he would welcome a return to the Jets, or look for alternative options if the Jets wanted to move on.
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