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The long-awaited trade to bring Aaron Rodgers to the Jets has finally gone down, but did the Jets overpay in their quest to land the future Hall of Famer? Former New York Daily News NFL columnist Gary Myers spoke on 710 WOR’s Len Berman and Michael Riedel in the Morning program about whether the star-crossed franchise can finally return to the Super Bowl.
“In the short term the Jets solved their quarterback situation, so I’d say the Jets definitely upgraded for the 2023 season,” Myers told Berman and Riedel; however, the Jets had to surrender several draft picks to get the deal done. Factoring those in, Myers feels “The Jets overpaid. They were in a desperate situation and backed themselves into a corner by going all in on Rodgers and letting some other quarterbacks and free agents sign with other teams.”
Also an issue: Rodgers may have four MVP awards and a Super Bowl ring on his resume, but he is a banged-up 39 years old. Myers was quick to point out the caveats that come with age. “Truth be told, he’s only one season removed from winning back-to-back MVPs, but they’re not necessarily getting that Aaron Rodgers. He will be 40 years old by the end of the season, he’s coming off a bad season with a broken thumb. [Green Bay] missed the playoffs because he played poorly in the final game of the year in Detroit, where if they had won, they would’ve been in the playoffs.
Still, the instant credibility Rodgers brings to Gang Green means fans are allowed to dream big about what might be. At the very least, Myers concedes that the combination of quirky superstar and New York media means they won’t be dull this season. “He does tend to say a lot of weird stuff, and for a smart guy, he just seems to be pretty out there. I would imagine he’s going to be constant fodder for the back pages of the New York tabloids.”
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