Hi, Subscriber

Former QB Pushes Jets to Trade for Award-Winning QB

  • 28 Shares
  • Updated
Garrett Wilson, Jets

Getty New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson smiling after a big game in the NFL

The New York Jets are under a lot of pressure to solve the quarterback situation this offseason.

Former NFL quarterback and current ESPN television analyst Dan Orlovsky recently pushed the team to go all in on Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers.

“Very simply put if Aaron Rodgers wants to win a Super Bowl and he can’t stay in the NFC, the Jets are absolutely the best place. I would say this, what are the other alternatives for the Jets? I continue to go back to this if you’re the Jets what else are your options? You have to win next season.

I’ll give you the four options to roll the dice on. Draft another rookie? Okay, no. Derek Carr? Are we confident he can handle that burden? Jimmy Garoppolo and the injury? Or Aaron Rodgers? Which one are you willing to roll the dice on?”

Evaluating the Risk vs. Reward With Jets QB Options

The blunt uncomfortable truth is regardless of the quarterback option the Jets pursue this offseason they will each come with some level of risk.

Carr is littered with questions about his record in cold weather games and if he has the right mentality for the New York market. Garoppolo has been a bag of injuries since he entered the NFL. A rookie quarterback is a total mystery and completely unproven.

Heck, even Rodgers isn’t a perfect prospect. He is 39 years of age, currently contemplating retirement, and is coming off his worst season in years.

Several prominent former Jets players have even come out publicly to push against the possible Rodgers acquisition this offseason.

There is no perfect answer but at the end of the day, Orlovsky’s theme is the appropriate one for the Jets. Which one are you willing to roll the dice on?

Give me the one that is a Super Bowl champion, a four-time NFL MVP, a 10-time Pro Bowler, and quite frankly one of the best and most talented quarterbacks of this generation.

Does he have a unique personality and marches to the beat of his own drum? That much is clear as day. However if we have learned anything over the course of football history, the more talented you’re, the longer the leash you have.

Everyone can handle a little crazy if Rodgers is winning football games and taking the Jets to unseen heights.

Compelling Jets Pitch to Aaron Rodgers Over Others

Part of the pitch from Orlovsky to Rodgers during his appearance on ESPN’s Get Up program was the good work of general manager Joe Douglas.

Over the weekend the Jets became the third team in NFL history to have a pair of rookies sweep the award show.

Garrett Wilson won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award for his record-breaking campaign in 2022. He became the first player in Jets history to walk away with that particular honor.

On the other side of the ball, Sauce Gardner won the Defensive Rookie of the Year honor. He became the fifth different Jets player to win that in franchise history.

NFL columnist Judy Battista did an interview with Senior Reporter Eric Allen during Super Bowl week and reiterated that same message.

She said that Rodgers [and everyone else for that matter] knows who players like Sauce and Garrett are. Battista commended the Jets on their recent roster building and said that should make New York an incredibly attractive place for a veteran quarterback this offseason.

Paul A. Esden Jr. covers the New York Jets for Heavy.com. A New York native, he is also the official PA voice of the Syracuse Strong Football Club and co-hosts Cumulus Media's morning show, "The Manchild Show with Boy Green." Before joining Heavy in 2021, Esden Jr. covered both national and New York sports for FanSided, Elite Sports NY and The Score 1260. More about Paul A. Esden Jr.

Read More
,