Aaron Rodgers was in midseason form on the second day of training camp.
From the moment that he hit a streaking Garrett Wilson down the left sideline on the first 11-on-11 play of practice — causing a crowd of Jets fans to erupt — Rodgers was on a heater Thursday.
He finished 9-for-12 in team periods.
“It was a double-move,” head coach Robert Saleh said. “Everyone anxious, a little over-aggressive, on defense, but Aaron did what he does.”
Rodgers, who also flashed some mobility in his return from a torn Achilles by rolling right to extend a play and throwing a sideline strike to Breece Hall, still saved his best for last.
During a move-the-ball period from the 30-yard line, Rodgers converted a fourth-down pass to Tyler Conklin and threw a walk-off touchdown pass to Allen Lazard.
Lazard, who is clearly benefiting from his time-tested rapport with Rodgers through their shared Packers days, then flipped the ball into the stands to a star-struck young fan.
“As a safety back there in the middle, he tests me in all types of ways, making you play true to your technique,” said Chuck Clark, who is no stranger to practicing against a MVP quarterback after spending five seasons opposite the Ravens’ Lamar Jackson.
“I love playing against him. Here it is Year 8 for me and I’m learning new stuff. I’m not necessarily going over there asking him something, but just seeing how he plays and why he did that is because I did something.”
Rodgers also was 3-for-3 in a seven-on-seven period, excluding the one time that the ball hit the ground after cornerback D.J. Reed tugged on Wilson’s jersey when beaten deep.
If officials were at practice, it would’ve been a pass interference call, which Reed seemed to acknowledge when he and Wilson slapped hands afterward.
The Jets are pushing back the timetable for rookie fifth-round pick QB Jordan Travis to be activated.
Travis is returning from a gruesome broken leg injury suffered last November at Florida State.
“J.T. is going to take a little bit more time than we were hoping,” Saleh said. “Everyone’s rehab is a little bit different. He’s working his tail off. It’s just that we want to make sure we give him the time that he needs to recover. This was always going to be a long-term project. He’s in every meeting, he’s at all the walk-throughs. He’s losing the live reps, obviously, but he’s in good spirits.”
Undrafted rookie QB Ben Bryant, who played at Cincinnati, Eastern Michigan and Northwestern, will compete with rookie Andrew Peasley to be the third-stringer in Travis’ absence.
Edge rusher Haason Reddick was placed on the reserve/did not report list, which cleared a 90-man roster spot.
Reddick is getting fined $50,000 per day for missing camp while holding out for a new contract.
Saleh said there was no update to the standstill.