Getty New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers warming up during practice.
There has been a ton of hype around the New York Jets since they acquired veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Although not everyone believes the hype is warranted.
Alex Kay of Bleacher Report argued that A-Rod will “struggle” to live up to the billing.
“While the quarterback won back-to-back NFL MVP awards in 2020-21, his production fell off significantly last season,” Kay explained in a column posted on Wednesday, June 7. “It will be a challenge for him to right the ship at this point of his career and thrive with a new organization.”
Kay wrote a column documenting the NFL players that “won’t live up to the hype” in 2023.
Why Aaron Rodgers Is Predicted to Struggle With Jets
Aaron Rodgers won back-to-back MVP awards during the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
Across that span of time, the Green Bay Packers had team success with a 26-6 record and A-Rod had individual success.
Rodgers completed 69.8 percent of his passes, threw for 8,414 passing yards, and owned an 85 touchdown to 9 interception ratio.
However, Kay said bluntly that Rodgers “came down to Earth” this past season in 2022.
A-Rod completed 64.6 percent of his passes, threw for 3,659 passing yards, and finished with a 26 touchdown to 12 interception ratio.
Kay said his age (will turn 40 during the 2023 season) and the “entirely new” set of circumstances with the Jets makes it “unlikely he’ll return to peak form” in New York.
Additionally, Kay said the Jets “must find significant playoff success to justify this trade” and he argued that’ll be a “tall task” for Gang Green.
The Argument Against Jets QB Aaron Rodgers Isn’t Ironclad
There are no guarantees that Rodgers will deliver the Jets to the promised land in 2023.
However, there are a lot of holes in Kay’s argument that A-Rod will be a big disappointment next season.
In the column, he said that Rodgers hasn’t carried teams that he has been on to “significant playoff success” in “some time.”
Well, that is factually inaccurate.
A-Rod brought the Packers to back-to-back NFC Championship games in the 2019 and 2020 seasons respectively. I’d say being one game away from the Super Bowl twice would reach the level of “significant playoff success.”
The “came down to Earth” narrative on Rodgers from 2022 is wildly overstated.
Rodgers’ numbers were down last year, but they were still among the best in the NFL, per ESPN. He ranked No. 7 in the league in passing touchdowns, No. 11 in passing yards, and finished No. 10 in completions.
Kay said it will take Rodgers time to get in sync with some of his top wideouts like “Mecole Hardman.” Hardman isn’t one of the top wide receivers on the team but others in that category include Garrett Wilson, Allen Lazard, and Corey Davis to name a few.
It seemed to be an attempt to try to denigrate the weapons that Rodgers will be playing with during the 2023 season.
Rodgers has been very transparent that there are Super Bowl or bust expectations for the Jets and the team is embracing them. That carries a little bit more water when you consider A-Rod has won a Super Bowl before and is one of the best passers of all time.