‘I guess these moments are destined for me’: Disgraced gambler Isaiah Rodgers helped save the Eagles’ season
After a yearlong suspension, the 27-year-old cornerback is on the brink of a Super Bowl.
This time last year, Isaiah Rodgers wore the scarlet “G.” On Sunday, he was running back a fumble that helped the Eagles reach the NFC championship game.
“It’s a crazy turnaround,” he said after the win.
Crazy, indeed.
Rodgers was suspended in June 2023 for violating the NFL’s gambling policy a year earlier while with the Indianapolis Colts, who immediately waived him. The Eagles checked on him with Colts insiders; after all, former Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich drafted him. Rodgers was spoiled goods. No other team called. The Eagles signed him, stashed him for 2023, and gambled (ahem) that the league would reinstate him for 2024.
It was as small a gamble as the foolish $25 and $50 wagers he’d made to get himself in trouble. Rodgers was a 25-year-old cornerback and kick returner with 45 NFL games under his belt. He’d gotten playing time on defense about half the time the previous two seasons. If he made the 2024 Eagles, he’d cost them just over $1 million. If they cut him, no money was guaranteed. It was a chance worth taking.
In the meantime, Rodgers went home to Tampa, Fla., where he hoped and prayed and worked. For a year he rose daily at 5 a.m. to begin a three-hour workout. He set up cones in his backyard. He spent more than $3,000 on a JUGS machine to fire NFL-caliber passes at him. (He donated the machine to a local high school this summer.) He spent another $3,000 on authentic NFL footballs to practice with. He worked out hardest on Sundays, as if he were still playing, and took off Tuesdays like the rest of the league. He did speed work and got faster. He had no guarantee that he’d ever play again, but he wanted to be ready.
On April 23, just before the 2024 draft, the league reinstated Rodgers. He made the team and settled into a reserve role as the fourth cornerback, coming through time and again, never more so than last Sunday.
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In the divisional playoff game, Rodgers replaced star rookie corner Quinyon Mitchell, who injured his right shoulder on the Los Angeles Rams’ first possession, and he more than held his own. He nearly intercepted Matthew Stafford two possessions later; he lost a 50-50 ball to Demarcus Robinson, but his tackle helped limit the Rams to a field goal. On the first play of the fourth quarter, he scooped a fumble and returned it 40 yards, which set up a field goal that pushed the Eagles’ lead from one point to four.
Now, Rodgers is getting ready to play in the NFC championship game Sunday against the visiting Washington Commanders. As he stood in front of his locker at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday night, still thawing from the Snow Bowl II win over the Rams, he spoke in a soft voice, embarrassed at his good fortune.
“I never thought last year, when I was suspended, sitting there on the couch, watching these games, ‘A year from now, I might be in games like this,’” Rodgers said. “I mean, I pray. A lot. So, I guess these moments are destined for me.”
He has met the moments. He missed Games 1 and 2 this season with a broken hand, but he started Game 8 against Jacksonville, and then Game 12 in Baltimore against MVP candidate Lamar Jackson, both times in place of veteran Darius Slay. The defense surrendered a total of 42 points in those two games. Rodgers also started the meaningless finale against the New York Giants.
“We’re not here right now without him stepping up,” Slay said. “He didn’t make every play then or today, but he was there for every play to be made. We trust and believe in Isaiah. If he was on another team right now, he’d be starting.”
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That’s almost certainly true. Rodgers started 10 games over his second and third seasons. He entered Sunday the 27th-ranked corner in overall defense among players with similar snap counts, according to Pro Football Focus.
He’d impressed the Birds in offseason and preseason work, but the injury set him back. He’s gotten better as the season progressed.
“All through OTAs and training camp, he was doing very well. Then he broke his hand,” defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said. “When he came back, he wasn’t playing at the same level as he was prior. But now he’s definitely back to where he was, and I have total confidence in him if he plays.”
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Rodgers might not start against the Commanders. Mitchell told The Inquirer he plans to play Sunday.
Rodgers will be ready, though, and more capable than he looks. He isn’t imposing at 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds, but “he’s a playmaker,” said coach Nick Sirianni.
Rodgers blocked an extra point against Tampa Bay, which the Eagles returned for two points. He intentionally deflected a pass into the hands of a teammate for an interception against Cincinnati.
The Eagles won Super Bowl LII despite missing five key players: quarterback Carson Wentz, left tackle Jason Peters, linebacker Jordan Hicks, third-down back Darren Sproles, and special teams ace Chris Maragos. That’s because GM Howie Roseman stockpiled backup talent and the assistant coaches prepared the substitutes to produce.
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The Eagles have ridden Saquon Barkley and Jalen Carter and Lane Johnson and Zack Baun to the NFC championship game, but, as in 2017, Rodgers represents the sort of roster depth that championship teams compile.
“It’s not the best groups of individuals that win, it’s the best teams that win, and we’ve got some special guys,” Sirianni said. “Howie did a great job getting these guys.”
Roseman’s gamble paid off.