Tag: Aaron Rodgers New York Jets

Fantasy football outlook: New York Jets QB Aaron Rodgers

Just what should we expect from a 40-year-old Rodgers in 2024?

The New York Jets rolled out the red carpet for Aaron Rodgers in 2023 seeking to repeat the Super Bowl magic Peyton Manning and Tom Brady captured after leaving the franchises they made famous. However, Rodgers’ first season in New York lasted just four plays before he tore his left Achilles – lending itself to a league-worst 13th straight year missing the playoffs.

His Hall of Fame resume is undeniable. Prior to last year, in 15 seasons as a starter, Rodgers has topped 4,000 passing yards 10 times and threw 30 or more touchdowns eight times.

The Jets have surrounded Rodgers with plenty of talent, and he’s now fully recovered. Third-year man Garrett Wilson has posted a pair 1,000-yard seasons with suspect quarterbacks, and they signed veteran Mike Williams (knee) away from the Chargers to give the Jets a potent one-two punch at the top of the depth chart. But Rodgers has potent weapons aside from just his top two receivers.

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Running back Breece Hall caught 76 passes for 591 yards to finish second on the team. Tight end Tyler Conklin added 61 receptions – Rodgers has a history of utilizing tight ends at a high level. The team drafted Malachi Corley in the third round – a player who has drawn comparisons to Deebo Samuel for his run-after-the-catch ability. Rodgers has no shortage of weapons at his disposal.

However, the biggest change the Jets made in the offseason was to overhaul the offensive line protecting Rodgers. They added three veteran offensive starters – tackles Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses and guard John Simpson. Those moves allow Alijah Vera-Tucker to move back to guard (where he can dominate). Center Joe Tippmann is a highly effective run blocker. The team committed so much to the offensive line that it used the 11th pick of the draft on tackle Olu Fashanu to provide immediate tackle depth, in case of injury, and a succession plan.

With one of the league’s best defenses already in place, if Rodgers comes back as strong as can be expected, the Jets have the best chance in a long time to end their playoff drought.

Fantasy football outlook

The fantasy prospectus for Rodgers is tempered somewhat as the warning signs of decline were evident when the Packers decided to move on from him. He had the fewest passing yards in any full season of his career, threw the most interceptions since his first season as a starter, and had the lowest passer rating of his career. If there was a time for Green Bay to go in a different direction, Rodgers gave them the justification.

The ADP number for Rodgers has him landing at about QB20, which would make him the last quarterback taken in 10-owner leagues or a reasonable backup investment in conventional 12-team formats. It’s certain someone will take Rodgers markedly higher than his ranking, because he’s a Hall of Fame player and brings big-play nostalgia.

Rodgers offers little as a rusher, so most weeks his production will come exclusively from his arm. In the modern NFL, dual-threat quarterbacks are the prototype. The Jets have made moves in the draft and free agency to maximize Rodgers’ talents, but he isn’t an every-week fantasy starter. As a QB2 on a fantasy roster to plug-and-play when necessary? The line will be waiting to land him there.

Aaron Rodgers agrees to new contract with $35 million pay cut

Aaron Rodgers’ $75 million contracts saves the Jets megabucks

Aaron Rodgers has to love being a New York Jet.

That can be the only explanation for why the four-time NFL MVP would sacrifice about $35 million and agree to a new two-year contract that is worth $75 million.

Per Adam Schefter:

Sauce Gardner gives Aaron Rodgers ‘gr8’ piece of jewelery

Aaron Rodgers received quite a nice gift from Sauce Gardner

Aaron Rodgers has found himself a new home with the New York Jets.

His teammates seem to love the former Green Bay Packers.

Second-DB Sauce Gardner combined with a jeweler and delivered a sweet necklace as a welcome gift of sorts.

“So you’re my jeweler’s favorite quarterback,” Gardner told Rodgers. “You know what I mean, Al the Jeweler. So he wanted to cook up something special for you. He brought the idea to me, I said I think it would be a good idea.”

Check this out. It tops the stuff Kirk Cousins was wearing last year in Minnesota for sure.

 

From Al the Jeweler on IG:

Welcome To New York @aaronrodgers12 🗽Special Shout Out To My Brother @saucegardner For Making This All Happen 🙏

Aaron Rodgers’ 2022 season presents an unclear picture of his future potential

What version of Aaron Rodgers are the Jets getting? The 2022 tape paints a surprisingly muddy picture.

Now that the New York Jets have finalized the trade with the Green Bay Packers that gives them Aaron Rodgers, Gang Green has — in theory, at least — the greatest quarterback in franchise history. Although, with apologies to everyone from Joe Namath to Richard Todd to Mark Sanchez… well, it’s a pretty low bar. The Jets are not a team noted for great quarterback play, and the thought here is that the current team is set up everywhere else for a deep playoff run, and Rodgers just puts them over the top.

Hypothetically, that is absolutely the case. Rodgers at his peak was the best pure thrower of the football I’ve ever seen, and his peak lasted quite a while. He was doing stuff in the early parts of the 2010s that bordered on optical illusion, and given what the Jets are spending on this deal, they clearly believe he’s still got more than enough in the tank at age 39 (he’ll turn 40 on December 2), to do what Tom Brady did in the 2020 season and Matthew Stafford did the next year — become the final addition on a team ready for the Lombardi Trophy.

That’s great in theory. What we are dealing with in Rodgers’ 2022 season are numbers that are well below what he have come to expect. Rodgers completed 350 of 542 passes for 3,695 yards, 26 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and a passer rating of 91.1. That’s his fifth-lowest completion rate (64.6%) over his career as a starter since 2008. It’s his third-lowest touchdown rate (4.8%), his fourth-highest interception rate (2.2%), his lowest Adjusted Net Yards per Attempt (5.95), and his lowest passer rating.

Of course, we’re talking about a “bad” season from one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, so the Jets would take that every day, and several times every Sunday. But when we look at Rodgers’ future, even with a good team, it’s worth diving into the tape to see exactly where he is at this point in his career, and what he still has to offer.

Fantasy football: 2023 NFL free agency roundup

NFL free agency will drastically help reshape the fantasy football landscape as the new league year begins.

Now that NFL free agency is upon us, we’ll run through the fantasy football outlooks for trades, re-signings, midrange players, and tag recipients.

This analysis will be updated as players sign/re-sign in free agency, so be sure to check back regularly.

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New League Year Mock Draft! Aaron Rodgers to the Jets, and Jalen Carter keeps falling

It’s the new league year, so it’s time for a mock draft reflecting all the free-agent moves. Here, Aaron Rodgers gets off the pot, and Jalen Carter keeps falling.

Why isn’t the new NFL league year a national holiday? I mean, the day after the Super Bowl should also be a national holiday, but as worn out as we all are after the two-day illegal tampering period has expired, and deals can now officially be consummated, I think we could all use a day on the couch.

In any event, after that blizzard of free-agent signings that are now finally signings at 4:00 p.m. EST, a lot has changed for most NFL teams regarding their plans for the 2023 NFL draft, which is right around the corner.

2023 NFL Free Agency: Grading all the major transactions

We’ll start with the Green Bay Packers and the New York Jets. We would love to say that a trade sending Aaron Rodgers from the green-and-gold to Gang Green has happened, but the financials are somewhat complicated, and Rodgers has a list of demands that may include a new pony and to be the President of Greenland, so we must merely assume that the Jets will send the 13th overall pick to the Packers as part of that deal. We will do just that for the purposes of this mock draft, because quite frankly, we are tired of waiting for Aaron Rodgers.

Also, the trade between the Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears that sent the first overall pick to the Panthers and a bevy of picks, along with receiver D.J. Moore to Chicago, is official. We believed at the time that the Panthers went up to grab Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud, and we believe so now.

2023 NFL Draft: Why C.J. Stroud will be the winner of the Panthers’ big trade

So, there are the Bears with the ninth overall pick, and what if Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter, the consensus best player in this class, keeps falling after he was charged with misdemeanors relating to the accident that saw teammate Devin Willock and a Georgia staffer Chandler LeCroy die in a January 15 accident? Carter’s performance at Georgia’s pro day just two weeks later didn’t help matters, and it’s tough to imagine a top prospect whose status may have fallen this far in a short space of time.

But given Carter’s legitimately generational talent, do the Bears take the risk? In this mock draft, the Bears do just that.

So, with all that business settled, here’s one version of how the first round of the 2023 draft might look after a tumultuous couple of days.

Where will Aaron Rodgers play in 2023?

A recent visit with New York Jets officials has Rodgers’ next move in the spotlight.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was granted permission to speak with the New York Jets regarding a trade earlier in the week, and now we play the waiting game as his future is shrouded in mystery. If he says yes, there is no doubt the Packers will ship him off to the Big Apple.

Rodgers is known for taking his sweet time with decisions, and some recent commentary on his part alluded to retirement still being in play. However, there’s just too much money on the line for him to hang ’em up, it would seem.

Speaking of finances, only 10 teams have less projected cap space than the Jets as of Friday afternoon, and it would require the front office to get creative should No. 12 opt to leave. It’s not a deal-breaking factor, though we may see the release of wide receiver Corey Davis ($10.5 million in savings) and edge rusher Carl Lawson ($15.4M savings) as obvious ways to save space. The remaining money can be found through restructuring and minor cap casualties, such as the announced departure of WR Braxton Berrios ($5M savings). Furthermore, Rodgers’ deal could be reworked, depending on how eager he is to leave Green Bay.

With legal tampering opening Monday, expect to hear something from Rodgers’ camp by the close of the weekend. It’s not a certainty, however, since he marches to his own beat. It would behoove both decisions — stay or go — for him to address it prior to the opening of the window to negotiate with external free agents.

Aside from merely wanting a fresh start in the twilight of his career, Rodgers has some incentive to leave Titletown. The Jets boast a pair of talented wideouts in Garrett Wilson and Elijah Moore, and if Rodgers is on board, don’t be shocked to see free-agent receiver Allen Lazard join his friend. Perhaps the aforementioned Davis returns on a renegotiated deal to offer a possession asset. Signing wideout Adam Thielen would make a great deal of sense, too. Toss in RB Breece Hall (knee) for another dynamic weapon, assuming all goes well with his recovery.

The offensive line is not as strong as what protected him in Green Bay, though its potential is apparent with the likes of Alijah Vera-Tucker, Laken Tomlinson, Mekhi Becton and Duane Brown set to return. Tight ends C.J. Uzomah and Tyler Conklin also provide adequate outlets as well as blockers.

New York’s new offensive play caller is Nathaniel Hackett, a longtime coach and friend of Rodgers. The defense is blossoming but may have to ascend with maturation of young talent as several veteran leaders are set to hit the open market. The defense still boasts a star-caliber player at all three levels, highlighted by Quinnen Williams, C.J. Mosley and Sauce Gardner.

It’s easy to understand why leaving a winnable division to join a crowded AFC East in a more difficult conference could sway Rodgers to stay, but ultra-competitive types view that as a challenge, not a deterrent.

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One of the toughest aspects to gauge is whether the situation awaiting him in New York is enough to lure Rodgers away from the only pro team he has ever known and a fan base that is as loyal as it gets.

Legacy can be a telling motivator.

For as aloof and independent as he has come across at times, the California native spoke on the issue in 2020, on the Pat McAfee Show. “My thing is, legacy is really important, and having the opportunity do it all in Green Bay would mean a lot to me,” Rodgers said. “I understand kind of the track record of our squad, there have been times where we’ve had veteran players and they finished elsewhere. And I get it.” He added, “I’d like to make that decision easy for them, and the only way to do that is to keep playing at a high level and give them no choice but to keep bringing you back because you’re the best option and give them the best chance to win.”

The latter part of the quote is more interesting to me, because Rodgers played his worst ball in 2022 since taking over as the starter in 2008. It wasn’t all on him, but there’s no justifiable way anyone can ignore the dramatic rise in mistakes, even if they’re willing to overlook the dip in production due to personnel deficiencies.

Rodgers’ relationship with Green Bay’s front office has been in shaky for the past few years, and the team isn’t going to put up much of a fight to keep him if they’re willing to let him explore a trade. One could argue they’re confident he’ll stick around and are just appeasing him, which is fair, but there also is incentive to see Jordan Love start a full season as well as clear some of the debt load from the exorbitant contract extension he signed. Trading Rodgers will create $15.83 million in 2023 dead cap and another $24.48 mill in ’24 … less than ideal from Green Bay’s perspective, but it’s not prohibitive.

Okay, with all of those factors considered, does Rodgers make the jump to New York? I think it’s going to be a yes. I’ll go as far as saying the future Hall of Famer will retire before playing another down in a Packers jersey.