Getty Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers during the 2022 regular season.
More and more reports have the New York Jets all-in on a trade attempt for Green Bay Packers superstar Aaron Rodgers after the 2023 Super Bowl.
Several current members of the organization appear to be onboard with this move — including wide receiver Garrett Wilson and cornerback Sauce Gardner — however, a few former players have recently warned the Jets to stay away from the four-time NFL MVP.
The biggest deterrent is probably newly dubbed Hall of Fame defender Joe Klecko, who told the New York Post that he wouldn’t pursue Rodgers if he were Gang Green. “I don’t see a guy like Rodgers fitting in with that mentality of them kids and everything like that,” Klecko told the Post candidly on February 10. “I could be wrong. He’s a tremendous quarterback, he’s a smart guy. I just think he could be more of a detriment, I really do.”
Klecko continued, explaining: “He has that condescending attitude — ‘Why did you give up the route? Don’t stop.’ You could see it on his face on the field how he gets upset with players. Is he a great player? Absolutely. I just don’t see him fitting. It takes a certain personality really to make things work.”
Former Jets WR Brandon Marshall Echoes Joe Klecko’s Anti-Aaron Rodgers Stance
During Super Bowl media week, New York Post reporter Brian Costello caught up with ex-Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall, and he doesn’t want Rodgers in green and white either — but for different reasons than Klecko.
“Aaron Rodgers is the best thrower of the football our game has ever seen,” Marshall admitted. “This is our opportunity to really get it right and be in position to be contending next year. So, you can go Aaron Rodgers and feel like you’ll get there, right? But what’s going to happen after next year? I feel like a Derek Carr, even a Jimmy [Garoppolo], with that defense, with Elijah Moore used the right way and then Garrett [Wilson], we’re set up for the next five to seven years.”
Marshall’s argument is that Rodgers only has one or two years left in the tank, and then the Jets are back to square one, while Klecko is wary of his personality blending in with the locker room. Two warnings to general manager Joe Douglas and head coach Robert Saleh, but with two very different approaches.
While Klecko didn’t offer a preferred replacement to Rodgers, Marshall praised Carr and Garoppolo as two underrated options. “If I was Woody Johnson Marshall, I would go Derek Carr as my [number one], Jimmy G as my second option, and then Aaron Rodgers as my third option.”
He added that “Derek Carr can get you there,” stating: “Derek Carr is the first one in, last one out. Derek Carr, he meets people where they’re at. The chemistry and continuity is everything… Derek Carr, that’s all we need. We don’t need the best quarterback. We need the right quarterback.”
Jets Legend Joe Namath Supporting Aaron Rodgers Trade
On the other side of the coin, you might have heard that legendary NYJ quarterback Joe Namath is pro-Aaron Rodgers.
On January 19, Namath told the Tiki and Tierney Show on WFAN that he would be willing to unretire his No. 12 jersey if Rodgers came to New York. “I know Mr. [Woody] Johnson is trying to get a quarterback and if there’s a way he can get Rodgers — I’m a big Rodgers fan and I noticed he wears No. 12, of course,” Namath voiced. “So I’m thinking, well, man if we can get him on our side, is he still going to be wearing No. 12 because the number was retired many years ago?”
Namath continued: “I’d sure like Rodgers if he’s there [and] yeah, I want him to wear his number, man. We establish ourselves and we got a real respect for our numbers and Aaron Rodgers, God almighty, it’d be great to have him in New York.”
Like fans, ex-Jets veterans appear to be split on the polarizing QB candidate. We should finally find out where the organization lands on Rodgers in the coming weeks.