Aaron Rodgers is headed to the Big Apple.
At 39 years old, the four-time MVP and future First Ballot Hall of Famer will attempt to win his second career Super Bowl with the New York Jets. It’s a blockbuster move for the NFL we won’t stop feeling the reverberations from for a long time.
But as much as the Jets feel they can win a championship with Rodgers — and they probably can — their path to a title hasn’t been completely paved.
As New York heads into the 2023 season with its first legitimate franchise quarterback, here’s a six-step plan to address right away. If the Jets want to win it all with Rodgers, they will do well to heed this advice.
1
Fortify their offensive line, especially at tackle
Currently, the Jets are slated to begin the Rodgers era with 37-year-old Duane Brown on the left side of their offensive line and former first-round Mekhi Becton on the right. If you’ll recall, Becton suffered a traumatic right kneecap injury during last year’s training camp that caused him to miss the entire 2022 season.
The Jets could try and protect Rodgers with such potentially shaky ground. They could, but I wouldn’t advise it. But I would at least give myself insurance if Brown and/or Becton can’t stay healthy.
In an OK offensive tackle draft class, New York should use its No. 13 overall pick on a book-end that can play either side. Any one of Ohio State’s Paris Johnson, Tennessee’s Darnell Wright, or Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski could be available in that slot.
2
Define the WR roles
With an abundance of weapons on the outside, the Jets probably don’t need a clear WR2.
Corey Davis is a solid veteran, but … he’s probably not much more and certainly hasn’t lived up to his status as a former No. 5 overall pick. Allen Lazard, while an “average” 6-foot-5 target, has a ton of familiarity with Rodgers from their time in Green Bay.
But every good offense has a hierarchy of playmakers. Every championship offense has players who know their roles. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson might put it more bluntly, but the sentiment remains the same.
Where does Davis slot in? Where does he shift Lazard around on the boundary? Does a “big slot” like Lazard play in the middle, giving Davis full-time outside assignments? It’s a tough call that would admittedly work out better for the Jets if both had experience flipping around. Until we have a greater sample size of these two working together outside of the Garret Wilson paradigm, it’s too early to say.
Fortunately for the Jets, Rodgers is quite experienced with establishing a sequence for his pass targets. There’ll likely be some early kinks to work out, but New York is fortunate it has access to Rodgers’ knowledge.
3
Get Rodgers and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett on the same page again
You might remember that when he was winning back-to-back MVPs a couple of years ago, Rodgers had someone notable on his side. That person would be former Packers offensive coordinator turned Broncos exile Nathaniel Hackett.
I have good news!
They’re back together again in New York! And it’s clear they needed one another.
There’s no other reasonable conclusion after watching Rodgers struggle through one of the worst seasons of his career. At the same time, the greater Denver area had to resist the urge to pull out the pitchforks for Hackett and his league-worst scoring offense.
How much success the Jets have with Rodgers will be predicated on how fast he aligns with Hackett in their reunion. If they pick up where they left off — two consecutive MVP campaigns and three consecutive 13-win seasons from 2019-2021 — Gang Green is in fantastic shape.
4
Nip the Zach Wilson issue in the bud once and for all
For a team that abandoned its self-respect largely because of Wilson’s failures under center, Wilson’s feelings are probably lower on the Jets’ list of concerns. And understandably so — no one in their right mind would cater to a bust No. 2 overall pick.
But Wilson remains on the Jets’ roster for now. As do all the players who were practically begging for anyone else at quarterback.
It’s not a guarantee per se, but I see no reason Wilson doesn’t return to the Jets in 2023 as their backup. Which need I remind you: Rodgers is now nearing 40 years old. At his advanced professional football age, it is distinctly possible Rodgers gets injured and doesn’t start all 17 games next season.
That means Wilson would eventually have to play a game or two, maybe even an important one, in a playoff chase.
Yes, Jets, I’m telling you the unthinkable: You probably still have to care about Zach Wilson (gasp) a little.
5
Spruce up an average rushing defense
By relevant metrics, the Jets had a game-changing defense last season. They were No. 5 overall in Football Outsiders’ DVOA. They were No. 4 in the least amount of yardage allowed. And they had game-changing stars like respective First-Team All-Pros, Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner and Quinnen Williams leading the way.
One niche the Jets weren’t so successful in was their rushing defense. Well, they were fine (No. 10 overall in DVOA, 16th in yardage), but they definitely could’ve been better. Beyond the foibles of Wilson offensively, New York surrendered 13 separate team 100-yard rushing games. It allowed over 120 team rushing yards on nine occasions.
A surefire way to beat the Jets moving forward will be to try and bully them and keep the ball out of Rodgers’ hands. Barring a slight talent influx — particularly along the defensive line next to Williams — defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich has his hands full.
6
Integrate Breece Hall into a back-by-committee
Before he tore his ACL, 2022 rookie Breece Hall was a genuine Offensive Rookie of the Year contender. In fact, if Hall maintained a pace of almost six yards a carry and just about 66 yards a game, he probably would’ve taken the award home.
Presumably healthy, Hall returns in 2023, but he’ll probably no longer be the focal point with Rodgers in town. Plus, with capable backups like Zonovan Knight and Michael Carter just behind him, Hall figures to get a smaller lion’s share of the touches.
How the Jets implement one of the NFL’s better young running backs into its suddenly stacked offense may ultimately determine how far Rodgers can take them. Were Hall to maintain his carry and catches pace once he became New York’s lead back last year, he may have finished with over 300 touches (!).
That prototypical workhorse workload isn’t going to happen with Rodgers, nor should it. It’s time to adjust accordingly.
