The New York Jets are aspiring to the Super Bowl, despite being the team with the longest playoff drought of the four major North American sports.
Getting Aaron Rodgers can give that boost to a moribund franchise, which has crumbled since losing the All-American final to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2010.
This is also the last final of the American in which the New England Patriots or the Kansas City Chiefs did not participate. While those two teams dominated the conference, the Jets had 11 losing seasons and finished last in the All-American East seven times.
“He brings a lot of excitement and that’s wonderful, because we want everything that comes with him,” said Jets head coach Robert Saleh of Rodgers, a four-time MVP who is following in his footsteps. of Brett Favre by moving to New York at the age of 39 after a glittering career in Green Bay.
Favre led the Jets to a positive season, but not to the playoffs. Rodgers’ task may prove even more difficult as he enters an association filled with elite quarterbacks including Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen.
Rodgers will have some familiar faces to turn to: ex-Packers receivers Randall Cobb and Allen Lazard joined him at the Jets, as did ex-Chiefs receiver Mecole Hardman. They come to improve a training already counting on the rookies par excellence in title Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner. The receiving group still suffered a heavy loss with the retirement of Corey Davis.
Running back Dalvin Cook spent six years with the Minnesota Vikings and jumped at the chance to share the field with Rodgers, signing a one-year contract.
The Jets also hired offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, who led the Packers offense from 2019 to 2021. Rodgers won two MVPs and made the Pro Bowl in those three seasons.
Rodgers isn’t the only big name to don a new uniform this season. Here are some veterans who now have a new address.
Brown switched sides in the Chiefs’ rivalry with the Cincinnati Bengals after winning the Super Bowl in his second season in Kansas City. The most coveted free agent on the market has signed a four-year, $64 million pact to protect quarterback Joe Burrow, who must first recover from a calf injury. Burrow suffered 153 sacks in 49 starts.
The three-time Pro Bowl player rushed for just 876 yards last season, his lowest total, but still reached the end zone 12 times. The Cowboys released him to make space under the salary cap and he was hired for one year by the Patriots. He should act as a substitute for Rhamondre Stevenson.
The Vikings, with no cap space, had to shed big salaries and star players this spring. They sent Smith, a three-time Pro Bowl-nominated quarterback chaser, to the Cleveland Browns. Paired with Myles Garrett, the two players will form one of the most feared pairs in opposing quarterbacks.
After six rocky seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, the former substitute for Tom Brady in New England will find coach Josh McDaniels at the Las Vegas Raiders, where he has signed up for three seasons. He will lead an offense that relies on receivers Davante Adams, Hunter Renfrow and Jakobi Meyers.
The Raiders traded Waller to the New York Giants and gives quarterback Daniel Jones a major playmaker and a better option at that position. Waller had 1,000 passing yards in 2019 and 2020 before injuries limited his output the past two seasons.
A year after shaking up the NFL with the acquisition of wide receiver Tyreek Hill, the Miami Dolphins made headlines again when they acquired star cornerback Jalen Ramsey from the Los Angeles Rams for a third-round pick and tight end Hunter Long.
