The New York Jets aren’t concerned about running it back with 40-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers after the four-time NFL MVP injured his Achilles just four plays into the 2023 season.
They doubled-down on their three-year, $112.5 million investment ($75 million guaranteed) into having Rodgers lead their all-in Super Bowl run with upgrades on the offensive line (namely eight-time Pro Bowl tackle Tyron Smith) and on defense (the most recent move being the trade for two-time Pro Bowl linebacker Haason Reddick).
Rodgers is healthy again and will be under center when the Jets open the season against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football on September 9. With rising talents like running back Breece Hall and wide receiver Garrett Wilson primed for big seasons, the offense has the potential to become one of the league’s best.
But what if Aaron Rodgers isn’t Aaron Rodgers anymore? What if he falls short of expectations despite being healthy?
Some opposing NFL coaches voiced their concerns over Rodgers’ perceived declining QB skills in an annual survey conducted by The Athletic’s Mike Sando.
With votes from 50 league coaches and executives to rank NFL quarterbacks by tiers, Rodgers fell out of Tier 1 for the first time in 11 Tiers appearances.
Patrick Mahomes (No. 1 overall), Joe Burrow (No. 2) and Josh Allen (No. 3) comprised the top level of QBs, while Rodgers slipped to the middle of the second tier at No. 7 with Lamar Jackson (No. 4), Matthew Stafford (tied for fifth), Justin Herbert (tied for fifth) ahead of him.
Ranked behind Rodgers to complete Tier 2 were C.J. Stoud (No. 8), Dak Prescott (No. 9), Jared Goff (No. 10), Jalen Hurts (No. 11), Brock Purdy (No. 12), Kirk Cousins (No. 13) and Jordan Love (No. 14).
While the assessment of Rodgers included some optimism over his ability to still be elite, most of the comments listed about him contained doubt about his age.
Said one head coach who gave Rodgers a Tier 3 vote: “You go back and watch those first four plays before he got hurt, he did not look good. He looks old. If they can’t protect him and they can’t run the football, it’ll be just what you saw late stages in Green Bay. He became ineffective. I’m looking at what he is, not who he is.”
Another voter whose team practiced against the Jets last summer called Rodgers “fragile” and wondered if he could last five games this season.
It’s true that Rodgers remains the most crucial component to the Jets’ championship aspirations. However, with a defense that figures to be top-five again in yardage allowed, he doesn’t need to be the one-man savior that won back-to-back MVPs in 2020 and 2021.
Head coach Robert Saleh just needs Rodgers to be the wise, savvy veteran who can convert on third-and-longs and orchestrate game-winning drives with two minutes left.
The betting markets hold modest optimism. The Jets have the 10th-best odds to win the Super Bowl on DraftKings (+1900). On FanDuel, they’re tied for the eighth-best odds (+1800).