For the first time in seemingly quite some time, the Jets can feel good about their Opening Day starting quarterback as Aaron Rodgers will take the reigns for the 2023 season.
It’s also a strong veteran presence for the Jets at the helm after a recent string of bad luck with putting rookies in the spotlight early. In fact, no team has relied on a rookie quarterback from day one over the past two decades than the Jets.
Touchdown Wire’s Mark Lane took a quick trip down memory lane to check out all the rookie quarterbacks that started on Opening Day since realignment in 2002.
In 2009, the Jets rolled with USC quarterback Mark Sanchez after taking him with the No. 5 overall pick. His career started with a 24-7 win over the Houston Texans and he would go on to play in two AFC Championship Games under head coach Rex Ryan.
The last two obviously leave a bitter taste in Jets’ fans mouths. One is Sam Darnold in 2018, though the first game was a positive, a 48-17 Monday night win over the Detroit Lions. The other of course is Zach Wilson in 2021, aka not Trevor Lawrence. That was the Sam Darnold revenge game as the Jets lost to the Carolina Panthers, 19-14.
The Jets may go through this again in the future. But for now, it’s full speed ahead with Rodgers. No one is thinking about the future. It’s the here and now for the Jets.