As a young boy growing up in Green Bay, football was always part of James Morgan’s life.
Morgan idolized Packers quarterbacks Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. He wore Favre’s No. 4 in youth football and Rodgers’ No. 12 in high school and throughout his college career at Bowling Green and Florida International. The Jets’ fourth-round pick has tried to blend Favre’s and Rodger’s approaches with his own.
“I was just mesmerized with how amazing that was and the performances (Favre) consistently put out,” Morgan said at the NFL combine in February. “Just the gunslinger mentality I’ve tried to emulate with my own game.
“At the same time, you’ve got to have the Rodgers [mindset where] it might be safer here to take the check down or something instead of trying to force it. I take a little bit from both of their games but [they’re] definitely an inspiration for me.”
The 23-year-old Morgan had a unique path to the NFL. No quarterback from Green Bay had received an FBS scholarship in over 30 years until Morgan got one from Bowling Green. A quarterback from the state of Wisconsin had not been selected in the NFL draft since Bud Keyes in 1998.
“The biggest thing about my road is that it definitely was not without its bumps,” Morgan said. “It wasn’t from Point A to Point B like I thought it was, but I’m extremely appreciative that I had those adverse situations because it made me the player and the man I am today. It’s definitely not how I would’ve pictured it, but I’ve learned a lot along the way and am very thankful to be at this point.”
Morgan won’t get the chance to play for his hometown team, but he is playing for one of Favre’s former teams in the Jets. The hope is that he’ll develop into a dependable backup behind Sam Darnold.
“It’s going to be a dream come true,” Morgan said. “I grew up inspired by Brett Favre; he was a Jet and I just can’t believe it. I had some big-city experience at Miami and I can’t wait to go to New York/New Jersey. I’m so extremely excited and I can’t wait to get going and get to work.”
