Getty New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers at Madison Square Garden in 2023.
The New York Jets and their fans are riding high after the Aaron Rodgers trade, but is it foolish to dream of an NYJ Super Bowl here in May?
Unsigned NFL champion DT Ndamukong Suh would argue that it is, and he hit the Jets and their fans with a strong reality check this week on NFL Total Access (May 15 edition). “Absolutely not,” Suh responded when host MJ Acosta-Ruiz asked him if he was “buying” the Jets Super Bowl hype in 2023.
The three-time All-Pro went on: “They need to — first and foremost — worry about their division. They got Buffalo, they got Miami, and let’s not forget about Bill Belichick’s New England Patriots. That’s a tough division that they need to win first and foremost, then talk about getting into the playoffs and have an opportunity to go win a Super Bowl.”
Of course, Suh is a long-time rival of Rodgers going back to his Detroit Lions and Tampa Bay Buccaneers days. The biggest incident between the two veterans came during the 2014 season when Suh was penalized by the NFL for stepping on the legendary quarterback’s leg.
Ndamukong Suh Compares Aaron Rodgers’ Jets to Tom Brady’s Buccaneers
As others have done, Suh likened Rodgers and the Jets to Tom Brady during his time in Tampa Bay — where “TB12” won a championship during his first season with the franchise. He explained why things could go differently for Gang Green, however.
“When Tom Brady came in, the things that he did that offseason to create that chemistry, that comradery, bringing that group together especially during a COVID period of time, I don’t know if Aaron Rodgers has that chemistry and that [personality] to do those different things,” Suh expressed to Acosta-Ruiz.
“Tom got all the offensive guys together,” he continued. “I gotta see that offseason chemistry [with Rodgers and the Jets], especially as we get closer to camp.”
Acosta-Ruiz did push back a little on this, noting that Rodgers has attended sporting events with players like Allen Lazard, Sauce Gardner, Breece Hall and Connor McGovern — among others — in recent weeks, which Suh admitted was a “nice change” that he’ll give Rodgers credit for.
Having said that, the veteran defensive lineman concluded that he’s still “hard-pressed to believe” that they’re a Super Bowl contender at this time. “Is that [MSG outings] gonna be enough?” Suh questioned. “Is that gonna really translate to wins and them taking care of that division?”
Aaron Rodgers, Ndamukong Suh Rivalry ‘Goes Back a Long Time’
As mentioned above, Rodgers and Suh have been bitter foes for a long, long while. Rodgers even voiced as much ahead of a matchup in 2020. “That goes back a long time and I’m sure the cameras caught some stuff,” the ex-Green Bay Packers QB said at the time, with a not-so-subtle hint that the experienced D-tackle has often dished out some cheap shots in the trenches over the years.
“The [public] rivalry between the two started in 2014 when it appeared that Suh blatantly stepped on Rodgers’ leg while the quarterback was on the ground in a game between the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions,” Jets X-Factor’s Thomas Christopher detailed on May 16 while talking about the history between Suh and Rodgers. Although two games a season against the Lions from 2010 through 2014 surely planted some early seeds.
He went on: “Then in 2021, Suh appeared on Shannon Sharpe’s podcast and admitted he’s “gonna always want to piss off Aaron and make him not want to be my friend on the football field.”
Despite all of that, Suh called Rodgers a “great guy” on NFL Total Access. “I’ve gone against him year after year after year and he makes it a point not to give up sacks,” the disruptor praised. “That body clock in his head, he’s moving around in the pocket, he’s going to make sure he gets rid of the ball [or] throws it out of bounds so you don’t get that sack.”
Suh intends to play again in 2023 after latching on with the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles late in the campaign last year, but he does not anticipate signing with anyone before training camp.