The New York Jets landed a legend when Aaron Rodgers left the Green Bay Packers after 18 years to join life in the Big Apple in 2023. The 40-year-old is a four-time Most Valuable Player Award winner.
His value for the Jets on the pitch lasted all of four snaps in the last campaign as he tore his Achilles tendon against the Buffalo Bills. It was incredibly bad luck for a man who was touted as someone who could change the fortune of the team. They haven’t seen a Super Bowl pitch since the first moon landing.
Rodgers has come back in 2024 as the Jets try to finally boost NFL lines with his considerable experience. It’s been 13 years since they managed to get to the playoffs. That unlucky number fits with a campaign that has started poorly to say the least. The good news is that no side is dominating AFC East and there’s time to turn the tide.
Rodgers’s individual contributions have been mixed. He suffered one of the worst games in his career in the loss to Minnesota Vikings with three interceptions. His quality has never been far away though with a 52-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass in the narrow loss to the Bills.
A 40-year-old quarterback who played no preseason, has a host of niggles and hasn’t had much protection isn’t sustainable though. Talk of replacements is rife, especially as the star’s contract runs out in 2025.
Noah Fifita
The Jets have to be practical about the future and one name that has been mentioned is Arizona Wildcats QB Noah Fifita. He really turned heads last year by leading the Wildcats to a positive 9-7 record, completing 72.4% of his passes for 2,869 yards, 25 touchdowns, and just half a dozen interceptions. When Pro Football Network released a mock 2025 draft, the 21-year-old was touted as a possible permanent replacement.
Fifita can develop more physically with arm strength, but he is known to be exceptionally accurate on tight-window throws. Moreover, a year under Rodgers’s mentorship could accelerate his development phase. The only thing that rings alarm bells is the tetchy situation that developed with the Packers when Jordan Love was brought through.
Jordan Travis
Another potential name mentioned may well come from within. Jordan Travis was the fifth draft in the 2024 NFL Draft Pick for the Jets. Travis suffered a dreadful broken leg which put an end to his College playing days and he’s been slowly gearing up for a return. His strengths, when fit, are superior mobility, great vision and a real talent for playing off-platform.
Travis’s rehabilitation inside the camp means he has direct access to Rodgers and Tyrod Taylor, who have 32 years of doing it when it matters. There will be no zoom to the top but slow absorption might just be the way that plays into the 24-year-old’s hands. He has the confidence to be the next cab off the rank too.
Bryce Young
The Carolina Panthers’ first overall pick from the 2023 NFL Draft, Bryce Young has also been mentioned in some circles. He is in the second year of a $37 million contract and although he was benched early in 2024, there are reasons to see a trade on the cards. Crucially, Rodgers, who has had his run-ins with coaches and personnel, also likes Young.
“I like the kid a lot. We share an agent, so I’ve known about him for a long time. I loved watching him in college, I like his demeanor. I like his movement, I like the way he throws,” Rodgers said in 2023. He’s only had 20 starts in the NFL with a modest 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, but if the opportunity to rub shoulders with the man in possession comes, then the relationship is already good. The winner could be the New York Jets a few years down the road.
Garret Nussmeier
Garrett Nussmeier has been one of the outstanding quarterbacks in the country for LSU Tigers. He has the heritage as his father Doug played for the New Orleans Saints and now coaches the Philadelphia Eagles. The 22-year-old hasn’t done the hard yards yet but with that back story will have seen the business from the family tree. He could be the perfect “prefect” when Rodgers calls it a day.
Despite limited game time, Rodgers has made his presence felt. “As soon as he came into the facility, his energy was felt. He’s also one of those gold-jacket guys so anything he says, anything he critiques, oh, we listen,” linebacker Quincy Williams told BBC Sport. He can be replaced, but he has left his mark in a very short space of time in New York. The new era will hopefully bring some new success stories for the Jets.
