Ben Kuchipudi ‘25

Sports Editor

March 15th, 2023 might go down as one the best days in New York Jets history, possibly the second best behind January 12, 1969, the day the Jets won their first and only Super Bowl behind Super Bowl MVP Joe Namath, who donned the number 12. A new number 12 is coming to town, however, and even though the number is retired, it will be worn again for at least another season. After weeks of speculation, conflicting reports, and a darkness retreat, Green Bay Packers legend, Super Bowl champion, and four time MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers committed to playing for the New York Jets via the Pat McAfee Show.
Even though he publicly stated this on March 15th, Trey Wingo, co-host of ESPN show “Golic and Wingo”, said this five days ago, on Friday the 10th. More prominent reporters such as Ian Rapoport and Adam Schefter shut the claim down, but Rodgers publicly called out reporters on the show, saying that they don’t know anything and he even exposed a text conversation between him and Schefter, with Rodgers telling him to “lose my number”. Rodgers has a close circle of friends, including McAfee and Wingo, and his goal was to not let the national media get a hold of his decision. He wanted to go out on his own terms. Although not official yet, all signs are pointing to Aaron Rodgers donning the gotham green and quarterbacking the New York Jets in 2023.

So what does this mean for the Green Bay Packers? Well, this is a move that almost seemed overdue. In 2020, the Packers traded up to draft Utah State quarterback Jordan Love, a move that seemed weird considering they had a quarterback that just led them to 13 wins and a conference championship appearance. It made more sense to draft more help for Aaron Rodgers, but they drafted his predecessor instead. Rodgers won MVP the next two seasons and led the Packers to the first seed both years, but they failed to make the Super Bowl in either of them. Offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, one of Rodgers’ favorite coaches, skipped town to coach the Denver Broncos, and they hoped Rodgers would follow him, but no trade was made.
The next season, the Packers were a very different team. They traded Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders and Rodgers was left with a depleted cast. He regressed and the team was shaky, but they rallied at the end of the year to go into a nationally televised Week 18 game against the rival Detroit Lions with their playoff hopes on the line. The Packers came out flat and the Lions ended their season. The same question of whether Rodgers would play football again for the Packers or in general once again came up, and this time it was warranted considering the Packers didn’t even make the playoffs. Rodgers went on a darkness retreat to contemplate whether he wanted to play or not, and when he was done, he decided that it was time for a change of scenery. Similar to the end of the Brett Favre era, all good things must come to an end, and history is repeating itself 15 years later with both Hall of Fame quarterbacks making their way to New York.

For the Jets side of things, it was clear that they were a literally “a quarterback away” from being a playoff team, as they started off 6-3 courtesy of a top five defense, but they had up and down play from second year quarterback Zach Wilson, which led to his benching after a 77 yard performance in a Week 11 loss to the New England Patriots, a game where he took absolutely no accountability for his performance. After rotating between Wilson, Mike White, and Joe Flacco for the 2022 season, owner Woody Johnson demanded an upgrade at quarterback. They looked at Derek Carr, but he decided to sign with the New Orleans Saints. They looked at Jimmy Garoppolo, but he signed with the Las Vegas Raiders, so they sent the big guns to California to meet with Aaron Rodgers. Johnson, general manager Joe Douglas, head coach Robert Saleh, and newly hired offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett (see the connection?) visited Rodgers and the meeting went seemingly well, and the Jets were optimistic that a deal would get done. Rookies Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson, and Breece Hall even went as far as burning a stolen cheesehead from their Week 6 victory in Green Bay to recruit Rodgers. 

A week later, Rodgers verbally committed to New York, and Jet fans and players rejoiced. They finally had stability at quarterback. Even though he’s 39 years old, Rodgers is still one of the best quarterbacks in the league and he’ll immediately make an impact on the Jets, who dealt with horrible play at the position last season. Rodgers coming to New York also helps them in the recruiting process, as they already signed Allen Lazard, and Odell Beckham Jr. very well may be next. Adding Rodgers to a roster that already has Garrett Wilson, Breece Hall, and a top five defense gives the Jets the second best odds to win the AFC East according to numerous betting sites. With the Bills looking shaky, Miami having uncertainty at quarterback, and the Patriots having an uninspiring roster, the Jets are primed to make their first postseason for the first time in over a decade, win the division for the first time in over 20 years, and win their first Super Bowl since 1969.