Fans of the New York Jets are suddenly pumped for the 2023 season, as the team traded for future Hall-of-Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers on Monday after many weeks of anticipation.
The Jets already have a strong team on both sides of the football, particularly on defense, where they ranked fourth in points and total yards allowed last season.
While many in the Tri-state area may be expecting to see the Jets in next season’s Super Bowl, there is also reason for concern, as Rodgers will turn 40 years of age in December.
He saw his production drop in 2022, and his productivity while being unpressured on early downs plunged compared to the 2021 campaign, per NFL analyst Warren Sharp.
in the most ideal passing situations (unpressured on early downs) last year, Aaron Rodgers ranked:
25th in EPA/att
27th in success rate
28th in yds/attthis was a huge decline from the prior 2 seasons when he ranked #1 and #7 in the NFL
in 2022 instead of buying time to make a…
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) April 25, 2023
The presence of All-Pro first-team cornerback Sauce Gardner, who was named the Defensive Rookie of the Year, plus fellow All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams will take pressure off Rodgers, but in the end, the QB will need to consistently make plays if the Jets are to have a shot at the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
He was named the league MVP in 2020 and 2021, but in 2022 he threw for 3,695 yards and 26 touchdowns while posting a 91.1 passer rating, his worst overall numbers during a healthy season in quite some time and maybe his whole career.
The glimmer of hope Jets fans may have in this regard is the fact that Green Bay’s receiving corps was very anemic in 2022, which may have something to do with the drop in Rodgers’ numbers.
New York, on the other hand, has the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year in Garrett Wilson, as well as former Packers wideout Allen Lazard, who had 788 yards and six touchdowns in 2022.
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Jets GM Reveals What Helped Complete The Aaron Rodgers Trade
