Aaron Rodgers to New York: Should the Jets Be Considered The Favourites to win the AFC East?

It is finally official: Aaron Rodgers is a member of the New York Jets. The four-time MVP and future Hall Of Fame quarterback had previously spent 18 seasons (15 of which he was the starting quarterback) with the Green Bay Packers, who selected him with the 24th overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft. The Packers traded Rodgers along with their 15th overall pick in this year's draft (which will kick off tonight at 8 p.m. EST) and a 2023 fifth-round pick to the Jets in exchange for New York's 13th overall selection in the draft, a 2023 second-round pick, a 2023 sixth-round pick and a conditional 2024 second-round pick that will become a first-round pick if Rodgers plays 65% of the plays during the 2023 NFL season. There's no doubt that the Jets gave up a lot to acquire Rodgers, but at the end of the day, the price is always going to be high if you're adding a all-time player (particularly if it's a quarterback) to your roster (which is exactly what the Jets are getting in this deal).

I will talk about what this deal means for the Packers going forward in a separate article, but for now, let's focus on the Jets. This is a franchise that currently holds the longest active playoff drought among all teams in the Big Four leagues (MLB, NHL, NBA, NFL). Last year, New York got off to a surprising start with a 6-3 record (including a victory over the Packers in Green Bay and a win over the three-time defending AFC East champion Buffalo Bills) before collapsing down the stretch by going 1-7 over their last eight games, finishing with a 7-10 record and their 7th straight losing season. The main culprit for their collapse was their inept offence that ranked 25th in total offence and 29th in points per game. 2021 number two overall pick Zack Wilson struggled during his sophomore season (6 touchdowns to 7 interceptions, 72.8 passer rating). The hope now is that with Rodgers on board, Wilson will be able to spend a couple of seasons on the bench and learn from the MVP quarterback, similar to Jordan Love (who will now take over as the Packers' starting quarterback) and Rodgers (who backed up Brett Favre for three years before he became the Packers franchise QB).

It's now fair to say that with Rodgers, the Jets are now bonafide Super Bowl contenders. They already had an elite defence (4th in total defence, 4th in points allowed per game), led by their All-Pro cornerback Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner (the reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year), All-Pro linebacker C.J. Mosely, and All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. And on offence, they also feature the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year in wide receiver Garrett Wilson and stud running back Breece Hall (who could've challenged Wilson for Offensive Rookie of the Year honours if he didn't suffer a season-ending injury in Week 7). They also signed wide receiver Allen Lazard in free agency, who has developed great chemistry with Rodgers during their time playing together in Green Bay over the past four seasons.

The AFC East is without a doubt one of the toughest divisions in the NFL.

As previously mentioned, the Buffalo Bills have dominated this division for the past few seasons, led by All-Pro quarterback Josh Allen. The Miami Dolphins made the playoffs last season for the first time since 2016, and have accumulated a ton of talent across the board over the past couple of years. And of course, as long as Bill Belichick is still at the helm, you can never really count out the New England Patriots, who have finished with a top 10 scoring defence 18 times since 2001 (Belichick's 2nd year as the head coach/general manager in New England).

However, all three of these teams also have their shortcomings: Buffalo is a good team that also had its flaws exposed during their Divisional Round loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. As I said earlier, the Dolphins are very talented, but can quarterback Tua Tagovailoa stay healthy? And sure, Belichick made the right move to hire his former assistant Bill O'Brien as his offensive coordinator. But with Rodgers now in New York, Mac Jones is definitively the worst quarterback in this division. It's hard for me to see the Patriots finishing with a 3-3 or better record in their six games against the Dolphins, Bills and Jets this season.

I wouldn't necessarily say that the Jets are the favourites to win the AFC, as I believe that they are probably a little step behind both the Cincinnati Bengals and the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. But I would say that they should be the favourites to win the AFC East (even with the NFL Draft being set to begin in about 4 hours at the time of this writing). The Jets were a solid team last year and had they benefited from decent quarterback play, they also would have made the playoffs. With them bringing in Aaron Rodgers, it is now championship or bust for a team that hasn't made it to the Super Bowl since 1969. We'll find out soon if Rodgers is the guy who ends up bringing the Lombardi Trophy back down Broadway.