Nov 6, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets injured quarterback Aaron Rodgers leaves the field after losing to the Los Angeles Chargers at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Even after their trade for Aaron Rodgers, the New York Jets are an absolute shambles. The Jets currently have one of the worst offenses in NFL history, and this may not be rock bottom. There are so many layers to the Rodgers deal that the trade to bring him here could go down as one of the worst in team history.
First and foremost is the obvious. Getting injured after just four plays meant this season was over before it really started. Sure there were some moments that offered Jets fans some degree of hope, but deep down everyone knew that this team wasn’t going to do anything more than possibly compete for a playoff spot if everything broke their way. But that wasn’t to be.
Then of course there are Rodgers’ many wealthy friends who tagged along with the future Hall of Famer on Woody Johnson’s dime. Wide receivers Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb, offensive tackle Robert Turner, backup quarterback Tim Boyle and to a degree, running back Dalvin Cook were all brought in to get Rodgers what he wanted. In all, it cost the Jets five roster spots and over $15 million for this season.
Next season they’ll all be gone except for Lazard, who would incur an $18 million dead cap hit if he were to be let go after this season. But with the authority it appears Rodgers wields at 1 Jets Drive, is there any chance Lazard would be let go anyway?
Speaking of next season, that’s when Rodgers, who cost the Jets two second-round picks and over $100 million in all, will be turning 39-years-old and coming off of a ruptured achilles. If you’d like to see the list of quarterbacks who fit that description and played at a high level soon thereafter, we went to the trouble of compiling one for you.
1.
But the silver lining here is that the Jets 2023 season is over, but it looks as if they’ll be in position to take Rodgers’ replacement with a top 8 pick in a deep class, right? Not so fast.
If Rodgers tells Woody Johnson and Joe Douglas that he wants a weapon to throw to or a beefed up offensive line early on, the team may have to wait until next year’s draft, by which time Rodgers may have walked away, to grab a QB. And there the Jets will find themselves. A franchise without a QB and with limited cap space.
Why the limited cap space? By that time, the Jets 2022 draft class could very easily be looking for new contracts. That’s right. Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson, Jermaine Johnson and Breece Hall could come calling for new deals. A trio that will likely command somewhere in the neighborhood of $100 million collectively.
And oh by the way, it’s around that time that Aaron Rodgers, according to overthecap.com, will come with a cap hit of $63,000,000 dollars. Of course there will be some smoke and mirrors salary cap gymnastics to work through, but even after Rodgers retires, the Jets are going to be feeling the pain of his enormous salary.
To top it all off, the Jets do not at the moment and will not over the next season or two have an offensive coordinator who is worthy of a job in the NFL. Paul Hackett’s son Nate has shown time and again throughout his career that he’s not very good at his job. Up to this point in time, his most notable achievements are being the son of a former coordinator and forming a bond with Aaron Rodgers as one of the QB’s best friends.
Not exactly the reason Jets fans were hoping they’d be talking about Aaron Rodgers for years to come, but barring a miracle, the legacy of the Rodgers deal will not be recalled fondly.