The New York Jets entered the 2023 offseason with one goal that trumped everything else on their to-do list; upgrade the quarterback position. General manager Joe Douglas accomplished that feat, landing Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers.
Rodgers represents a major upgrade under center for the Jets, who had been starting Zach Wilson, Mike White and Joe Flacco the last two seasons. The results were as poor as you would expect as New York went the final three games of the 2022 season without an offensive touchdown.
That kind of drought shouldn’t occur with Rodgers, who is one of the best to ever do it. However, going on 40 years old in December, there are some concerns about how much he has left in the tank. Rodgers did contemplate retirement earlier this offseason, and when that thought creeps into your head, we have seen it usually means the start of the end.
After winning the MVP award in 2020 and 2021, Rodgers regressed in 2022. Nagging injuries certainly played a part, but Father Time could also be catching up to him. What level of play can the Jets expect from him in 2023?
Based on projections from NFL.com for Fantasy Football, Rodgers won’t be contending for the MVP award but it will be a big increase on the quarterback production from recent seasons. The future Hall of Famer is projected to throw for 4,203 yards and 28 touchdowns with 10 interceptions.
It would be the first time in Rodgers’ career that he threw double-digit interceptions in back-to-back seasons and only the fourth time in his career. Two of the three he has recorded came in his first three seasons as a starter.
The other projections, however, are pretty solid. The yardage is right in line with what Rodgers has produced normally and while the touchdowns are a tad under his career average, a 2.8-1 touchdown to interception ratio is something Jets fans have basically never seen.
Numbers like that will put the Jets in a position to win plenty of games. Even with his struggles last season, Rodgers showed that he can put the team on his back for stretches at a time. Consistent, turnover-free football is all the Jets need from him to put them in contention to earn a playoff spot for the 2023 season.
