When New York Jets' QB Aaron Rodgers went down four plays into the 2023 season, disappointment reigned throughout the fan base as they lost the chance to watch a future Hall-of-Famer at the controls.
Now that he's fully healthy, the 40-year-old Rodgers can prove his doubters wrong and potentially bring the Jets their second Super Bowl in franchise history. The only question when it comes to Rodgers is how he'll look coming off the Achilles injury at his advanced age. His arm still is still lively like his former MVP self and it's going to be interesting to see how he looks in comparison to other QBs this year.
The Sporting News NFL writer Vinnie Iyer believes that Rodgers is still a Top 10 QB, placing him at the No. 9 spot. Rodgers hasn't completed an NFL regular season pass since 2022 where he lost a must-win battle against the Detroit Lions in what was his last game in Green Bay. Statistically speaking, Rodgers had one of his worst seasons that year throwing double-digit interceptions and having below 30 touchdowns.
Nonetheless, what gets caught in all of the drama with Rodgers is that he played the 2022 season with a broken thumb. Also, he came off back-to-back MVP seasons in 2020 and 2021 so it's not that long ago since Rodgers was at the top of his game. Meanwhile, the Jets are hoping that mixing Rodgers with a Top 5 defense will make the difference, turning a 7-10 team into one that breaks the franchise's 13-year playoff drought.
The surprise from Iyer's article is that he placed Rodgers ahead of Tua Tagovailoa who had a career year that uplifted him into the MVP conversation. His performance in 2023 was off the charts and the Miami Dolphins responded by awarding him a four-year deal worth $212 million. Still, Tagovailoa has yet to win a playoff game, nevermind a Super Bowl MVP like Rodgers once did.
No one knows how the four-time NFL MVP will look until we see him for the first time in Week 1 Monday Night Football versus the San Francisco 49ers, but if Rodgers plays like anything close to a Top 10 QB, then the Jets are going to be scary good.
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