The New York Jets decision to activate Aaron Rodgers was a strange one when they announced it last Wednesday prior to the team’s last second win against the Washington Commanders on Christmas Eve.

And it continues to get even more strange as the days go by.

The Jets decided on Wednesday to activate Aaron Rodgers from IR before his 21-day window closed. Rodgers had been on IR since week 1 when he tore his Achilles just four offensive plays into the season.

Despite activating him from IR, the Jets were clear that they had no plans to make him active for a game. Their reasoning was that by activating him, he could continue to practice with the team through the last few weeks of the season.

In order to put Rodgers back on the 53-man roster, the Jets needed to release a player to make room and that turned out to be full back Nick Bawden, though Bawden was signed back to the practice squad.

Rodgers claimed Tuesday on “The Pat McAfee Show” that he intended to go on injured reserve, but the Jets decided to activate him against his wishes.

“I assumed I was gonna go on IR. I asked to be put on IR,” Rodgers said during his weekly appearance. “There was a conversation ‘do you want to practice,’ and I said ‘not at the expense of somebody getting cut.’ I know how this works. I didn’t feel like I needed to practice to continue my rehab. I could do on-the-field stuff on the side.

“But obviously I got overruled there, maybe it is what it is. That was an interesting situation. I called Nick right away, just said ‘I hope you know this isn’t coming from me. I asked them to put me on IR.'”

Much of the criticism revolved around the fact that Rodgers might be taking money away from Bawden which isn’t the case. Because Bawden is a three-year veteran, and was on the roster to start the season, his salary for the season is guaranteed.

Head coach Robert Saleh confirmed that Rodgers wanted to go on IR, claiming that he and general manager Joe Douglas made the decision to activate him. “He expressed concern about taking somebody else’s roster spot,” Saleh said. “But we had roster flexibility and the ability to [activate him], so we did.”

This feels like a giant charade to not only keep Rodgers around the team but paint him in the best possible light. Whether he is in on it or not is hard to tell, but this feels like a way to keep him around while making sure he isn’t the villain in the story.

Either way, it doesn’t really matter for a team who is set to miss the playoffs for a 13^th consecutive year with some major improvements needed this offseason, regardless of the quarterback.

Jets are wasting Garrett Wilson with terrible offense

Garrett Wilson is a rare talent. He is a true, bona fide number one receiver in the NFL. He is also being wasted by the New York Jets. Wilson ended the 30-0 loss against the Miami Dolphins with three receptions on only four targets for a measly 29 yards. The Jets couldn’t manage anything offensively […]

Featured image via Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports