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Aaron Rodgers left the Green Bay Packers for the New York Jets in a blockbuster trade this April.
That move made him the biggest loser of the NFL offseason according to Mike Jones of The Athletic.
Jones said Rodgers got “what he wanted in his exit from Green Bay” but he also warned the future Pro Football Hall of Famer, “be careful what you wish for.”
“Yes, he got what he wanted in his exit from Green Bay and reunion with new Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, his former Packers OC,” Jones explained in a column posted on Friday, June 23. “He also gains a more potent cast of wide receivers. But in leaving the NFC for the AFC, he now has a significantly tougher road to the Super Bowl.”
Path Grew More Difficult for Rodgers in New York
Jones pointed out Rodgers’ inability to beat Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions in Week 18.
The task was simple for the Packers, beat the Lions and you’d punch your ticket to the postseason. Detroit ended up walking away with the 20-16 victory over Green Bay ending its season in Lambeau.
Jones said if he struggled to beat the Lions, “what makes Rodgers think he can win a shootout with Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert, Trevor Lawrence, Deshaun Watson, and Tua Tagovailoa?”
The other new difficult task Jones pointed out is the difference in divisional strength.
“After generally rolling through the NFC North annually, Rodgers will learn that winning a first-round AFC playoff game will be much more challenging — and that’s if Rodgers and the Jets even get out of the AFC East, where the Bills, Patriots, and Dolphins all boast tough defenses.”
Since 2011 the Packers have won 8 of the last 12 NFC North crowns. That guaranteed a home playoff game and in theory a favorable position in the postseason bracket.
However, that’ll prove much more difficult in his new location in New York.
The Jets have only won the AFC East once (2002) over the last 24 years. Over that same span of time, every other member of the division has won the crown at least twice.
Jets Crowned as Top Offseason Winner
In the same breath that Jones called Rodgers the NFL’s biggest loser, he crowned the Jets as the league’s top winner.
“Robert Saleh and company went from a gravely concerning quarterback situation to landing a future Hall of Famer at the position who now makes them must-see TV,” Jones said. “The Jets are all-in on their quest for a Super Bowl after their trade with the Green Bay Packers for Aaron Rodgers and the NFL has scheduled them for five prime-time contests plus the inaugural Black Friday game this fall.”
The AFC path appears more difficult on paper and the Jets own the NFL’s longest active playoff drought. However, New York has never had a quarterback of Rodgers’ capabilities so it’s difficult to judge its star-crossed history.
Last season the Jets won seven games in spite of its quarterback play. Instead Gang Green relied on the No. 4 overall defense in the league and a complement of young players on both sides of the ball.
The Jets retained the majority of its core roster this offseason and just added Rodgers. That has dramatically increased expectations and put New York immediately into the title conversation.
Rodgers didn’t move the Packers to the AFC, he joined a brand new team that has different strengths and weaknesses.
Consider this, Eric Edholm of NFL.com ranked the top-10 most complete rosters in the league back on May 22. The Jets were listed at No. 8.
The Packers weren’t featured on the top-10 list nor did they make the honorable mention section at the bottom of the article that featured an additional four teams.
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