Getty New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers in 2023.
The New York Jets haven’t had a top-ranked quarterback in what feels like ages, but going into the 2023 NFL season, they finally do.
USA Today’s Cory Kinnan ranked every starting QB heading into training camp and Aaron Rodgers and the Jets placed inside the top 10 — at No. 7 to be exact. The only issue was that all six signal-callers above him were in the AFC too.
Kinnan put Patrick Mahomes II first — no surprise there for the reigning MVP — followed by division rival Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert, Joe Burrow and Trevor Lawrence. Dak Prescott and Jalen Hurts were the first NFC quarterbacks on Kinnan’s list at Nos. 8 and 9.
“He’s a walking meme off the field right now, but Rodgers and 4,000 yards passing have been a safe bet to make for the most part over the last decade,” Kinnan voiced regarding the Jets new QB1. “Now suiting up for the New York Jets with the skill players to continue to light up the stat sheet, it is on Rodgers to prove he is still an elite quarterback after a down year (which was still quite good).”
NFL Analyst Says Aaron Rodgers Could Break Jets’ MVP Streak Along With Playoff Drought
It’s almost hard to believe, but the Jets are one of seven teams that have never had a member of their organization win the MVP award according to NFL Research and NFL Network analyst Grant Gordon. Having said that, Rodgers gives Gang Green a decent shot at changing that in 2023 — should he lead this downtrodden franchise to glory.
“The annual NFL Honors might as well reside in Mr. Rodgers’ neighborhood,” wrote Gordon while discussing his chances. “Rodgers has four AP NFL MVPs on his first-ballot Hall of Fame resume, which is second all time.”
“Rodgers won back-to-back MVPs in 2020-2021,” he went on. “Though he’s only a few months from his 40th birthday, Rodgers still isn’t far removed from being voted as the league’s top dog. If Rodgers leads a Jets playoff parade, a fifth MVP could be a reality. Then again, if he leads New York to the Super Bowl, he could be a Gotham legend rivaled only by Batman and Broadway Joe.”
Gordon’s not wrong. Winning in New York would certainly enhance Rodgers’ legacy to a level that few NFL figures have reached.
“The opportunity to be part of something special here, it’s different,” Rodgers told an auditorium full of reporters during his introductory press conference in April. “It’s similar to Green Bay in that way. When you win in a city like Green Bay, and I assume for a team like the New York Jets, you go down in history.”
Jets’ Aaron Rodgers Hovering Around 8th Best Odds to Win NFL MVP Award in 2023
Let’s see how the odds stack up with Kinnan’s QB ranking. According to Vegas Insider, DraftKings Sportsbook, Caesars Sportsbook and PointsBet all gave Rodgers the eighth best chance to win MVP this year — although the payout varied.
Bet MGM actually had Rodgers tied for seventh with Miami Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa and the aforementioned Lawrence at +1400, while FanDuel had that same trio (plus Prescott) tied for seventh at +1600. Caesars credited the future Hall of Famer with the worst odds that were displayed on Vegas Insider at +1800.
Circling back, all of this lines up with Kinnan’s assessment that Rodgers is somewhere around the seventh best quarterback in the sport. The only signal-caller lower on Kinnan’s list that was consistently placed higher in the MVP projections was Hurts — and part of that is due to an easier path to the championship game in the NFC.
Aside from the Philadelphia Eagles star, the oddsmakers agreed with Kinnan on the six QBs that have a better outlook in 2023: Mahomes, Allen, Burrow, Herbert, Jackson and Lawrence (most of the time). The only outlier was Bet MGM, who gave Jackson worse MVP odds than Rodgers, Lawrence and Tagovailoa.