Aaron Rodgers leaving the Green Bay Packers for the New York Jets is the biggest blockbuster NFL move since Tom Brady joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020, but will it be as successful?
A four-time MVP of the league, Rodgers will go down as one of the most talented quarterbacks of all time, but just one Super Bowl success seems scant return. Brady won the biggest prize of all seven times – the last coming in his first season at Tampa Bay.
Rodgers, 39, has had the Packers constantly contending throughout his 15 seasons as a starter, but that second winners’ ring has eluded him. Will leaving Lambeau Field for the bright lights of New York spark success in the twilight of his incredible career?
Why is Rodgers moving, and why now?
Since Green Bay signed Jordan Love in 2020 to be Rodgers’ eventual replacement there has been an unease between employer and employee, with Rodgers feeling the team would have moved him on had he not won back-to-back MVP awards in 2020 and 2021.
Despite signing a bumper new contract just last year, he admitted retirement was on his mind heading into a ‘dark retreat’ to contemplate his future – only to hear rumblings of Green Bay being open to trade offers.
That lit the fire to keep playing – albeit away from Green Bay, who missed out on the play-offs last season and look to be a team in rebuilding mode. Both football and personal factors fuelled his departure.
Writing on Instagram on Tuesday, he said: “I’m not sure it’s possible to fully express the gratitude that I have to the Packers, our incredible fans, the state of Wisconsin, the thousands of players that I crossed paths with, the incredible men and women who work for the organisation, and the amazing people who I got to meet along the way. But I hope you read this and feel my heart and soul, filled with love, joy, and peace about my time in green and gold.”
Who gets the better of the Rodgers trade?
Well, it looks as though everyone got just about what they wanted.
The Jets are getting the premium QB they have craved for years, and a rare sense of hope for their long-suffering fans.
Rodgers gets his wish to leave, and given the Packers were happy to trade him, they did well to get what is likely to be New York’s first-round draft pick next year.
General manager Brian Gutekunst now has wiggle room in the salary cap, and six picks in the first two rounds of the next two drafts, to prove this was the right decision.
Can Rodgers follow in Brady’s footsteps?
There are a few similarities between Rodgers’ move to the Jets and Brady’s to the Buccaneers three years ago, with the veteran QBs joining perennial strugglers beginning to show signs of life but needing elite ability in the sport’s most crucial position.
Given Brady hit the ground running with Super Bowl success in his first season, it’s some act to follow, but Rodgers has a similar point to prove – that he can succeed away from his long-time team.
The difference is Brady was trying to show he could continue winning away from the New England Patriots, while Rodgers wants to prove he wasn’t the reason the Packers failed to secure more than one Super Bowl during his tenure.
Why Rodgers really needs that second Super Bowl
While many see Rodgers as a bigger talent than Brady, the Super Bowl rings tell their own story.
Green Bay have never quite found the right balance of players and coaches around their gifted QB, but they have made the play-offs nine times in the 11 seasons since their 2011 title.
The talent has been there to get them to four Conference Championship games – but each time they have fallen one match short of the Super Bowl.
Rodgers isn’t blameless, and in his final play-off game in Green Bay he mustered just 10 points. He needs that second ring to silence the doubters.
Can the Jets really be Super Bowl challengers?
Rodgers will be well aware he is joining the team with the longest play-off drought in the league, in a city desperate for success – and a notorious local media that pulls no punches.
The Jets have plenty of young talent, though, including last year’s two rookies of the year, a fine running back and most importantly a top-four defence.
Rodgers won 80 of the 90 Packers games in which they conceded fewer than 20 points – and the Jets allowed just under 19 per game on average last season.
With his former Green Bay offensive coach Nathaniel Hackett and one of his favourite receivers, Allen Lazard, waiting for him in the Big Apple, Rodgers has all the ingredients for success.
Whether he succeeds or fails, it will be one of the storylines of the new season and with such a big star being in the flagship New York market, we’ll see and hear every step of the way.
