Getty New York Jets owner Woody Johnson is reportedly all-in on landing a big-time quarterback in 2023.
The name around town is Aaron Rodgers, and it appears New York Jets owner Woody Johnson might want him as much as fans and media members.
Earlier this week on January 29, Sports Illustrated NFL insider Albert Breer had an interesting note about the Jets’ pursuit of Rodgers. He wrote: “The Jets didn’t hire offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett [just] to get Aaron Rodgers. But I can tell you, unequivocally, that Robert Saleh and the team’s decision-makers were very aware of the implication hiring the former [Denver] Broncos coach would bring—and they aren’t shying from it. I think the reason for that is someone pretty high up in the organization won’t shy away from it—if and when the time comes.”
Translation: Johnson is all-in on acquiring a big-name quarterback like Rodgers and he’d only back down if the Green Bay Packers legend decided that he didn’t want to play here. This week on “The Pat McAfee Show,” the veteran gunslinger spoke on the idea of reuniting with his former offensive coordinator, Hackett, and he didn’t seem opposed to the idea — although he also made it clear that he hasn’t put much thought into 2023 yet.
Albert Breer Connects the Dots on Jets & Aaron Rodgers
Breer did have more to say on this topic. He continued later:
“Do you know who remembers that the Jets were 5–2 at the end of October and 7–4 on Dec. 1? Woody Johnson, that’s who. And the Jets’ co-owner has, in the past, acted aggressively when he felt like his team was close. After a 10–6 uptick in 2015, he held on to an aging core for an extra year, and doggedly stayed after Ryan Fitzpatrick to return in ’16. In ’07, he had a burgeoning young core, and a coach he needed to pass judgment on, and pushed GM Mike Tannenbaum to go get Brett Favre—the ’08 Jets, by the way, were 8–3 when Favre got hurt.”
He added that this current roster might actually be a stronger Super Bowl contender than those previous teams that Johnson decided to push the chips in on, except for the fact that Saleh could be on thin ice if things go awry.
“Regardless of whether they land Rodgers, I do think Saleh is content with the hire of Hackett,” Breer made sure to point out. “There are other reasons that, after interviewing more than 15 candidates for the job, Saleh went with Hackett. He worked with him in Jacksonville, and watched Hackett call plays up close in 2016. He loves Hackett’s ability to connect with players (you can ask Rodgers about that one). He wanted someone who could build a dominant run game, and Hackett was part of those sorts of operations as a coordinator in Jacksonville and Green Bay. And he won with quarterbacks both average and elite.”
Here is what it might take to trade for Rodgers according to the experts, although there have been other rumors circulating that it could take less than that. As most have already concluded in the past, Breer confirmed that the two most likely backup options are Derek Carr and Jimmy Garoppolo — who are both expected to hit free agency this March.
Jets WR Garrett Wilson Receives Spiritual ‘Sign’ on Aaron Rodgers
Today on February 2, a Jets fan by the name of “Jets Media” on Twitter shared a recent post from wide receiver Garrett Wilson’s Instagram story — his backup personal account, not his more public account.
Garrett Wilson on his Instagram Story 😂👀 (IG/ ttwf.o)
The photo displayed some sort of “Redzone Rush” arcade game with a caricature of Rodgers in a green and white jersey that looked more like a Jets uniform than a Packers one.
Wilson simply captioned the story post: “Issa sign.”
The rookie wideout had a phenomenal season but many would argue that it could have been even better if he had a quarterback like Rodgers throwing him the football. Throughout the year, Wilson appeared frustrated with the play of Zach Wilson among others. He was also critical of offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur and his gameplan after the Jets got bumped from the playoffs.
Garrett Wilson wanting a better quarterback in the building is not difficult to believe whatsoever.