The New York Jets bet all their chips on former Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers to be the final piece to propel a team — that has struggled for decades — to finally turn the corner and take them to the playoffs and compete for a Super Bowl.
Last season, they learned the hard way why a plan like that may not be wise. The moment Rodgers went down with a season-ending Achilles injury on his first drive as a member of the Jets, the organization spiraled into complete chaos.
They turned to Zach Wilson — and when he didn’t work out — plugged in a few other QBs who truthfully may not belong on NFL rosters.
New York Jets owner Woody Johnson made his displeasure on last year’s season abundantly clear during Super Bowl week.
He took a subtle approach, but noted the need for a reliable backup QB behind Aaron Rodgers and was visibly frustrated with the coaching staff last season that seemingly had no backup plan if their franchise QB went down.
Collectively, New York’s quarterbacks combined to lead the NFL’s 31st-ranked offense on a team featuring high-end young weapons like running back Breece Hall and reigning Rookie of the Year wide receiver Garrett Wilson. Only the Carolina Panthers offense with struggling rookie Bryce Young at quarterback fared worse last season.
New York Jets management refused to make an in-season move at quarterback despite having an elite defense and a team that was built to win now outside of the glaring hole at quarterback in Rodgers’ absence. New York finished third place in the AFC East at 7-10.
Now, yet again, the Jets are hoping Aaron Rodgers will be their savior and in a year where the coaching staff is absolutely on the hot seat, New York has to make the playoffs at the very least to call the season a success.
Earlier this week, the Jets inked longtime veteran dual-threat Tyrod Taylor to a to a deal to become the backup QB for the Jets.
Now the Jets have a proven NFL quarterback in Taylor as their backup. With a 40-year-old Rodgers coming off an Achilles tear, there’s a good chance they’ll need to employ him next season.
In 13 seasons, Taylor’s made 58 starts while producing an 88.3 career passer rating with 65 touchdowns and 29 interceptions. He made a Pro Bowl with the Buffalo Bills in 2015. He’s spent the last two seasons backing up Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, making five starts last season.
But per usual there’s new drama with the Jets and Rodgers as reports broke on Tuesday the longtime NFL QB is considering joining Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as his VIce President for the upcoming election and the New York brass isn’t thrilled about it to say the least.
New York Jets Brass ‘Upset’ Over Aaron Rodgers Potential VP Run, Calls It ‘Ridiculous’
The New York Jets are ‘upset’ by reports that Aaron Rodgers could be poised to leave his NFL career behind to become the running mate for Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr, according to a new report from the Daily Mail.
The New York Times reported Tuesday that Kennedy approached both Rodgers and former WWE swrestler Jesse Ventura, an ex-governor of Minnesota, about appearing on his ticket.
Kennedy has focused on getting access to the ballot, an expensive and time-consuming process that he has said will require him to collect more than a million signatures in a state-by-state effort.
Many states require independent candidates to name a running mate before they can seek access to the ballot, a factor driving the early push for Kennedy to make a pick.
Aaron Rodgers, the longtime Green Bay Packers quarterback who now plays for the Jets, shares Kennedy’s distrust of vaccine mandates and, like Kennedy, is a fixture on anti-establishment podcasts.
It comes after Rodgers only played four snaps in his first season with the Jets after suffering a nasty Achilles injury in his first game last September.
DailyMail.com revealed through sources that the New York Jets are ‘upset’ with Rodgers and say it is ‘ridiculous’ to think he could be campaigning and playing football at the same time.
A source said: ‘Lots of the Jets coaches and players want Aaron to commit to the team and worry about winning the Super Bowl over a chance to be in the White House.
“Aaron and Robert aren’t going to win but for Aaron to consider helping run the country over playing for the team has many with the Jets all upset because you have to pick one or the other.
Aaron can’t be campaigning through the week and then play the Dolphins the following weekend. It is ridiculous.”
The report said a New York Jets Source Noted Aaron Rodgers has already been a major distraction within the organization and this takes all the drama to a whole new level.
“When Aaron is retired he can do whatever the hell he wants, the Jets aren’t paying him not to play, the team has already had to accept and take on his various controversial beliefs and comments and to add a political career to the situation is exactly the distractions the team wants no part of at all.”
“There is only enough leash they can give and offer Aaron, and they want him to be a teammate and not a running mate.”