When the New York Jets acquired quarterback Aaron Rodgers in a blockbuster trade with the Green Bay Packers last year, it was a move that was expected to shake the NFL landscape.

The Jets were supposed to become Super Bowl contenders after having not made the playoffs since the 2010-11 campaign, so that was certainly something new.

Unfortunately, Rodgers ended up tearing his Achilles on New York’s first offensive series of the regular season, thwarting Gang Green’s championship hopes.

Rodgers is on the mend and will be ready for Week 1 of 2024, but during a recent appearance on the I Can Fly podcast, the future Hall-of-Famer said he initially wasn’t sure he would ever return to the gridiron again.

“I was really thinking, ‘This is it,’” Rodgers said, recalling the moment the injury occurred. “You don’t come back from this injury.”

Well, not only is Rodgers coming back, but he had been planning on making his return last December, which would have been an unprecedented turn of events.

However, the Jets were out of the playoff race by then, so Rodgers kicked the can down the road and opted to push his comeback to next season.

New York has been very busy trying to build a legitimate contender this offseason, signing wide receiver Mike Williams to put alongside of Garrett Wilson and swinging a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles for star edge rusher Haason Reddick. In addition, the Jets made numerous additions along their offensive line.

The AFC East is wide open heading into 2024, especially with the Buffalo Bills clearly being weakened. If Aaron Rodgers is able to stay healthy and is anything like his former self, the Jets will unquestionably be a dangerous team. Not just within their own division, but in the the NFL in general.

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