Jets Urged to Recruit Aaron Rodgers Top Packers Target

The Super Bowl is set and the New York Jets aren’t in it for the 53rd straight year.

While that isn’t ideal, there are a lot of good vibes this offseason and hope for the future. Our pair of experts Paul ‘Boy Green’ Esden Jr and Michael Obermuller help filter through all of the juicy rumors and answer the hottest questions on people’s minds.

---

So You’re Saying There’s a Chance for the Jets?

1. Who is a player from Nathaniel Hackett’s past that you hope he brings to the Jets in 2023? 

MO:

Well, the obvious answer is Rodgers, but for the sake of switching it up a bit, I’ll add another name to the discussion. Jets fans have suggested signing wide receiver Allen Lazard on social media and that could be a wise move.

Lazard can run block and catch, and obviously has a natural link to Rodgers and Hackett. If you decide to cut Corey Davis, he’d be an easy replacement depending on his asking price. The Packers receiver is set to hit free agency this spring.

Boy Green:

You read my mind, Michael, I’m going all-in to recruit players that are close with Aaron Rodgers.

Allen Lazard is at the top of my list.

First off the Jets could use another receiver and Lazard fits the profile as a big-bodied physical wideout. He stands in at 6-foot-5 and weighs over 227 pounds.

Secondly, it can’t hurt the recruitment efforts to have one of Rodgers’ talented friends on the roster.

Heck, I’d even make a reckless blockbuster trade for Davante Adams with the Raiders. Rodgers is a special talent and worth all the efforts to lure in.

Recreating some of that magic from Green Bay in a different shade of green in New York could be a lot of fun.

2. If you had to put a percentage on it, what would you say are the chances the New York Jets swing and miss in their pursuit of a star QB this offseason?

MO:

Well, they’re definitely swinging for the fences after hearing Woody Johnson address the quarterback position. The real question is, how many available QBs are legitimate stars?

Lamar Jackson and Aaron Rodgers absolutely would be, but is Derek Carr considered a star? How about Jimmy Garoppolo or Ryan Tannehill? Probably not, on those last two.

So having said that, I would put a two percent chance at Jackson and a 15% chance at Rodgers. I still think Carr is the most likely option if he’s interested in playing here, I’d put him at 45%.

Boy Green:

I think that is the great fear heading into this offseason. What if the Jets wait around for one of the big stars and miss out on everyone else?

I’ll put the chances of that happening around 15 percent.

If the Jets want to guarantee they get someone, Derek Carr is probably the guy they should lean towards with his pending situation in mid-Febrauary. However, if they’re shooting for the stars, they have to be willing to get hurt by waiting.

3. On the other side of the coin, if you had to put a percentage on it, what would you say are the chances Gang Green lands the QB of their dreams this offseason?

MO:

Just reading the room, I feel like Rodgers is the “QB of [the Jets] dreams.” That would make sense based on Johnson’s comments, as well as Robert Saleh’s, and it would also pair with the Nathaniel Hackett hire.

Based on my first answer, I think 15% is a fair response. Rodgers could rejoin the Packers as he did in 2022. He could also retire, theoretically. If he does get traded, however, the Jets certainly feel like a top option for him.

Boy Green:

I think whoever they land, the team will sell that they landed the quarterback of their dreams.

Woody Johnson is motivated, this current regime is ready, and the fan base appears ready to rally ahead of 2023.

All of the stars and planets are aligning and it’s up to the Jets to make sure they get their man. I say 100 percent they sell us on insert guy but in all actuality, I’ll say 33 percent chance they land the coveted quarterback of their dreams.

---

Time for the Jets to Get on Recruiting Trail

4. If I would’ve told you midseason that the Jets were going to fire Mike LaFleur and replace him with Nathaniel Hackett, what is one word you would have used to describe your reaction?

MO:

NFL, and I’ll explain that. I tweeted it at the time and said something along the lines of: If you told me that Zach Wilson’s Jet career would be in the hands of Hackett who just got hired as the head coach of the Denver Broncos, I wouldn’t have believed you. Going one step further, Wilson is now an afterthought on this roster to most.

That’s just the NFL for you though. It’s nicknamed the “not for long” league for a reason. Every offseason around the NFL is crazy and 2023 should be no different.

Boy Green:

Bulls***.

Mike LaFleur was celebrated when he was hired as the next big thing. He flopped like a bad pancake at a cheap diner.

Nathaniel Hackett was made fun of when he was hired as the new OC. What he turns into is anyone’s guess.

We should keep all of this in mind though as we head into 2023.

I wouldn’t have believed you one iota though if I was told this ahead of time. Hackett appeared destined to be one of the worst head coaches ever and he fulfilled that. LaFleur was supposed to be a sexy coach with innovative ideas and he didn’t deliver.

The story is yet to be written but it just goes to show how wild the National Football League can be.

5. With Nathaniel Hackett officially hired as the new OC who is someone you’d like to see him fire that initially survived on the coaching staff and/or someone you’d like to see him bring on the Jets staff in 2023 that he has a connection to?

MO:

I know I’ve said it before but I’d ditch quarterbacks coach Rob Calabrese. I want a change in philosophy at the QB position and that should include the main coach that is directly working with Wilson and whichever veteran they decide to bring in.

I can’t say I have a person in mind to replace him but I’m sure Hackett would hire an assistant that he has some sort of history with. Keeping Calabrese would be forcing Hackett into a key arranged marriage of sorts, and those never end well. It’s time to cut bait.

Boy Green:

I hate agreeing with MO so much but he’s right Calabrese has to hit the road. I’d be surprised if Hackett kept the leftovers in the fridge from the previous OC.

It’s common for people to want their own guys in those roles and I expect that to happen over the next handful of months.

One name I’d like to see Hackett bring in that he has experience with is Doug Marrone. He currently serves as the offensive line coach down with the New Orleans Saints.

Marrone is a former Syracuse guy that has experience with the Jets organization and is a former head coach in the NFL at two different stops. He has a long history with some explosive offenses and that could be incredibly beneficial for this staff.

0 Comments