The tide is turning in New York after Rodgers signing

The NFL is a crazy, crazy world. The unexpected happens more frequently than we see in other sports, and there is always reason for hope in this game.

If you told me two years ago, just weeks after the Jets finished the 2020 season with the second-worse record in the league, that New York would go on to trade for a four-time MVP winner, I would have called you mad.

Now a reality, the Jets are in a position to make a genuine run to compete for the playoffs, and possibly the Super Bowl, in 2023. Having traded for Aaron Rodgers on Monday, the expectations on the Jets have skyrocketed ahead of the 2023 season.

Rodgers, who signed a three-year contract extension in March 2022 worth a guaranteed $150.8 million, has been linked with a move away for some time. After the emotion of the 2022 season ending subsided, declared his intention to join the Jets week ago, and now the deal is finally done.

Now he a deal has been made (after what has felt like an eternity), all parties can concentrate on the future. Love is in the air in Green Bay, but the match in New York is the real exciting prospect this offseason.

QB chaos finally sorted in New York

The Jets have not had competency and consistency at quarterback for a very long-time. Geno Smith, failed. Sam Darnold, failed. Then Zach Wilson, drafted second overall in 2021, seems to have also failed so miserably, and quickly, that the Jets have already given up on him. If Wilson had worked out and shown any sort of progress in the past couple of years, then the team wouldn’t be in a position to trade for a proven veteran.

It has been years, if not decades, since New York had a proven quarterback that they could get excited about. Someone who automatically propels them into contention. In a sport where there is so much emphasis on a single position, this feels like a momentous achievement for Jets fans, like myself, to finally get excited about the teams prospects.

The roster is ready

Since I’ve followed the team, this feels by far the biggest sign that the Jets are getting close to what I’d consider success. Regardless of being able compete for championships, I’ve longed for a team that felt competitive within the AFC East.

2022 was a good start, despite narrow, heart-breaking defeats to the New England Patriots. Big, and more importantly, convincing victories over the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins have shown us all that the team can and is ready to compete. This roster must use Rodgers’ signing as a momentum changer, particularly in getting that long-awaited victory of Bill Belichick, and the arch rivals of the Patriots.

Joe Douglas has produced another masterstroke in terms of acquiring Rodgers, without giving up a great deal. In fact, in staying in the first round and keeping one second round pick, the Jets are still in a position to sure up the offensive line and fill up some of their defensive holes this offseason.

Any concerns for the long-term?

Of course, there will be doubters. Rodgers is 39, coming off a poor year with the Packers having failed to make the playoffs and the Jets will only likely receive two years, or three at an unlikely push, of him at the helm. Even Rodgers’ NFL mentor in Green Bay, Brett Favre, has concerns over how he would ‘fit’ in with the young core in New York.

But football teams compete to win championships. You cannot continue a rebuild forever. Joe Douglas, and the rest of the fanbase, feel confident that now is the time to go all in, not just with Rodgers, but with the other free agency additions of Allen Lazard, Mecole Hardman, and perhaps even other stars linked such as DeAndre Hopkins.

The Jets hired former Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett as their offensive coordinator in January, the man who coached Rodgers in his most recent MVP seasons. A reunion in New York is exciting, especially as this is a proven combination for success.

This team is ready to win now. With Rodgers now at the helm, New York is in a position to do just that.

What a time to be a be a Jets fan.