The New York Jets learned their lesson the hard way last season when they bet all their chips on Aaron Rodgers without having any real plan if their new franchise QB got hurt.
Obviously everyone knows how that ended up.
The Jets looked like they’d be a very solid contender before the season began and many believed they could contend for a Super Bowl. But, just four plays into the season, starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers went down with a season-ending Achilles injury.
The New York Jets never really recovered from that, and both Wilson and Tim Boyle tried to lead the team the rest of the way. Wilson, who was the former No. 2 overall pick, went 4-7 as a starter. He threw for 2,271 yards and had eight touchdowns and seven interceptions. He has one year left on his initial four-year deal, but the Jets are widely expected to trade or cut him.
Team owner Woody Johnson didn’t hold back his frustrations with the team’s lack of having a backup plan when he spoke publicly about the offensive woes at the NFL Honors earlier this month.
“The discussions I’ve had in the last couple of months, they’ve seen me about as mad as I can be with what was going on, with the offense particularly,” Johnson reportedly said, via ESPN.
“We have all this talent, and we have to deploy talent properly. So I think they all got the message. This is it. This is the time to go. We’ve got to produce this year.”
According to the report, when asked specifically by reporters about the team’s need for a backup, Johnson agreed.
“You need a backup quarterback,” he said. “We didn’t have one last year.”
Wilson, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, has faced mounting criticism throughout his NFL career. After another disastrous season, the Jets moved forward last year to acquire four-time league MVP Aaron Rodgers in an offseason trade with the Green Bay Packers.
With that, the Jets moved from trying to make the playoffs for the first time since 2010 to talking about Super Bowl aspirations. But just four plays into Rodgers’ debut, he suffered a season-ending leg injury, and the Jets were back at square one.
Former NFL GM Thinks Russell Wilson Is The Perfect Backup For Aaron Rodgers And The New York Jets In 2024
While there are plenty of strong backup quarterbacks that can win games like Jacoby Brissett, Gardner Minshew or even former Jet Joe Flacco, available to to backup Rodgers in 2024, former NFL GM MIke Tannenbaum came up with a wild idea on ESPN’s “Get Up” on Monday.
He believes Russell Wilson is the perfect fit to fill in as Rodgers’ backup QB in the Big Apple.
Mike Tannenbaum wants to see Russell Wilson backing up Aaron Rodgers on the #Jets
The reaction by Bart Scott 💀
(h/t @GetUpESPN)pic.twitter.com/1rR2SWDeW0 https://t.co/A4vwSlgTRB
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) February 19, 2024
“Yeah I actually think he would be a great fit with the New York Jets and here’s why,” Tannenbaum said. “Pay him a million dollars and let him resurrect his career. I actually have experience with this, Vinny Testaverde got cut by the Baltimore Ravens, we signed him in June and went to the championship game that year. Where else is he going to go? He’s got to resurrect his career. Where else will he go? Nobody is going to give him a starting job.”
While it’s almost a certainty Wilson will move on from the Denver Broncos, this proposal doesn’t make sense for either side. First and foremost, can you imagine the New York media the minute Aaron Rodgers has a bad game for the New York Jets? They will be chiming for Wilson. It’s also highly unlikely a decorated veteran like Russell Wilson will simply agree to backup Rogers with no shot to compete for a starting role.
At the very least, Wilson should land somewhere where he has a chance to compete for the starting job.
