Aaron Rodgers could use another offensive weapon on the New York Jets.
Well, that is the belief of Brad Gagnon from Bleacher Report. He wrote a column on Wednesday, May 24 rating how desperate 10 NFL quarterbacks are to acquire wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
Gagnon rated Rodgers a 9 out of 10 on the desperation meter which was tied for the most desperate of any passer on the list.
“That said, Hopkins would surely walk into a starting role opposite [Garrett] Wilson on the Jets roster. And realistically, Rodgers and Co. could use all the help they can get as they hope to load up for some small-window championship runs,” Gagnon argued in his column for Bleacher Report. “It’s a simple quality-over-quantity deal. On top of that, the Jets themselves were reportedly in on Odell Beckham Jr. before he signed with the Ravens, so it all adds up.”
DeAndre Hopkins Appears Ready for an NFL Scenery Change
Gagnon explained that Hopkins’ time with his current squad, the Arizona Cardinals, “may be running out.”
He pointed to Hopkins’ age (30 will turn 31 before the start of the 2023 season), Arizona’s league-worst Super Bowl odds, and his contract situation.
The former Clemson product has two years left on his $54.5 million contract through the 2024 season.
During an appearance on the “I Am Athlete Podcast”, Hopkins revealed the names of several quarterbacks he’d like to play with. Opening the door for a potential trade situation at some point this offseason.
Vegas Insider set the Cardinals’ over/under win total for 2023 at 4.5 games. That is the lowest total of any NFL team per their projections.
If Arizona is going to be a bad football team next season then it would behoove them to trade an older player while he still has value via trade.
Jets Chased OBJ, Could Chase DeAndre Hopkins via Trade
On top of Gagnon arguing that Rodgers should be incredibly desperate to acquire Hopkins, he also believes the team has an interest in adding a big-name wide receiver.
Earlier this offseason the green and white made a full-court press attempt to sign Odell Beckham Jr to a contract.
Before the former LSU product could make his official visit to the Jets facilities the Baltimore Ravens swooped in last second with an offer OBJ couldn’t refuse.
After the Jets missed out on Beckham, they stood pat. Instead of pivoting to another big-name wide receiver move it has been business as usual on 1 Jets Drive.
That doesn’t make sense.
If Gang Green thought they could upgrade the wide receiver position with OBJ, why would they stop there?
There have been plenty of big-name wide receivers that have been floating in the trade rumor mill this offseason headlined by Hopkins.
After Garrett Wilson’s breakout year in 2022, he is going to garner a lot more attention from opposing defenses in 2023. As the roster is currently constructed, teams will be able to double-cover Wilson.
However, if the team acquired a player like Hopkins, on each possession an opposing defense would be forced to make an impossible choice. Who do we leave one-on-one?
Whichever player they allow to have a favorable matchup, Rodgers can simply throw a jump ball to, and more often than not a Jets player should win that battle.
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Jets’ Aaron Rodgers ‘Desperate’ to Add Star Pass Catcher, Says Analyst