Aaron Rodgers shows he's fully healthy during first Jets training camp practice

Aaron Rodgers is back. On Wednesday, the first day of training camp for the New York Jets, the veteran quarterback practiced at full speed, without any visible limitation.

Rodgers participated even in 7-on-7 drills. And he started hot, completing his first four passes to Garrett Wilson twice, Jeremy Ruckert, and Braelon Allen. The results were not as good in red-zone periods, completing only two of seven passes.

Rodgers showed his usual pocket movement and footwork.

Connection with an old friend

Wide receiver Allen Lazard had a tough season in 2023 without Rodgers around. But now that the starting quarterback is back from his Achilles injury, there is a fair expectation about what Lazard can do as well.

They had a strong connection when they played together for the Green Bay Packers — Lazard was the Packers' leading receiver in 2022. The first throw of training camp was caught by Lazard, and he also caught a leaping touchdown from Rodgers in the red-zone period.

"He can still sling it," head coach Robert Saleh said after practice. "He's an unbelievable teammate. His wealth of knowledge and his understanding of football makes him pretty much another coach on the football field. When he speaks, our guys listen."

Leadership role

Even though there was a controversy around Rodgers because of his mandatory minicamp absence , the quarterback is ready to keep leading the roster. After practice, he talked to the media for the first time since the absence, saying that he had booked the trip to Egypt based on last year's offseason schedule.

Now that Aaron Rodgers is back in town, he mentioned how important it is to be active and interested. His main goal is obvious: Winning the Super Bowl in New Orleans.

"You have to bring the energy, the enthusiasm every single day. You have to set the standard," Rodgers said. "You show up every day, you gotta be active in meetings, you gotta be attentive. The goal is New Orleans, that's gotta be the focus, gotta be the manifestation through our words and our actions."

Confidence

The Super Bowl is the goal, and Aaron Rodgers doesn't think it's an unreasonable one. The quarterback believes the Jets have the talent to be really competitive in the AFC.

"The beauty is, every single year there's 8 to 12 teams. Maybe, probably less. But 8 to 12 teams that can actually do it," Rodgers added. "We're one of those 8 to 12."

The Jets open their 2024 season on September 9, a Monday Night Football game against the San Francisco 49ers in California.

Related: Aaron Rodgers reportedly questioned Jets HC Robert Saleh's wording after controversial press conference