New York Jets: Rodgers Improves The Team But Is It Enough?

When it comes to the regular season, Aaron Rodgers makes the New York Jets a better team. He’s hands down a better quarterback than anyone left on the Jets or the Green Bay Packers for that matter. While it was time for Green Bay and Mr. Rodgers to move on, we have to wonder if it’ll be all sunshine and rainbows in New York.

First and foremost, the New York media is brutal. Although technically in New Jersey, New York journalists are relentless when it comes to criticizing players of Aaron Rodgers’s stature. If whipping his bare foot on a press conference table was how he reacted in Green Bay, imagine the level of absurdity he’ll come out with after being questioned day to day by the NY media. But let’s put a pin in that for a later date.

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The media won’t be Rodgers’s biggest hurdle. Although the Jets have a ton of young talent on the team, the veteran quarterback has had a way of rubbing new talent the wrong way, again to the media. Remember last year with his very public freak-out over the young players not knowing their routes? He can pressure the Jets into bringing in whoever he damn well pleases by the looks of things. Even then, however, he’s still going to have to work with a whole new band of players, learning a new but familiar playbook, and under a new head coach. That might not be so bad as those are everyday parts of the job and he’s been around long enough to adapt.

Where the real struggle comes into play is competition. The AFC East has struggled in the past, but in recent years has been one of the more competitive divisions. He’ll face the likes of Josh Allen, if healthy Tua Tagovailoa, and Mac Jones under Bill Belichick. He won’t be facing the 1-3 win Lions in his prime. He won’t be facing the 3 win Bears twice a year. He’ll be going to a division that had all 4 teams in playoff contention last year in a whole new stadium with an unforgiving fan base.

Yet, that’s still not his biggest hurdle. Rodgers has struggled to win in the postseason. Statistically, he’s made a real impact, but it’s been a while since the Packers were considered Super Bowl favorites. No disrespect to the NFC with guys like Brock Purdy and Geno Smith, but the AFC has a much stronger field when it comes to young franchise quarterbacks. The New York Jets will have to go through Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, (maybe) Lamar Jackson, a hopefully healthy Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herber, and Trevor Lawrence. All of those young guys are in their prime.

Aaron Rodgers was a huge acquisition for the New York Jets. Fans should be on cloud nine right now. But does this delay the inevitable? Will Aaron Rodgers be able to come in and make the Jets a Super Bowl favorite before the window closes? If not, they just spent an awful lot of money to stall while they find their franchise quarterback of the future.