If Aaron Rodgers is out for the season, what veteran stop-gap can the Jets sign to stay competitive in 2023?
In one of the cruelest twists of fate in NFL history, Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers went down due to injury after playing just four snaps in his highly anticipated 2023 debut.
It's cruel for the thousands of Jets fans, some who proudly bought No. 8 jerseys this past summer, who have waited their entire lives to watch solid quarterback play. It's cruel for young players like Garrett Wilson, Breece Hall, and Sauce Gardner, who showed on Monday night that this Jets team is absolutely capable of a deep playoff run but will continue to suffer from one big black spot on the roster. It's just incomprehensibly cruel.
Word on the street is that Rodgers hurt his Achilles, and even if it's just a partial tear, the Jets must plan for life without Rodgers this year.
The 2023 season is salvageable, but with a tough slate of games coming up, the Jets may have to act fast. Barring another draft picks trade (Jimmy G? Kyler?), they may dip their fingers in the veteran free agent market.
Here are our rankings of the best Aaron Rodgers replacements in 2023.
Aaron Rodgers Replacement No. 5: Matt Ryan
Longtime Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan closed out his NFL career on the Colts in 2022. Though he isn't technically retired just yet, Ryan's unimpressive final year in the league makes him a mile-long shot for the Jets.
The 38-year-old started 12 games for Indy last season and was ultimately benched in favor of Sam Ehlinger. He recorded just over 3,000 passing yards and threw 14 touchdowns against 13 interceptions.
No one's expecting Ryan to magically revert to his younger Pro Bowl self if he's lured over to New York. We just don't think Robert Saleh and the Jets are going to take a chance on this particular washed-up veteran, who would do little to inspire confidence in an otherwise high-octane offense.
Next.
Aaron Rodgers Replacement No. 4: Nick Foles
Speaking of formerly talented quarterbacks who ended their careers in Indy, Nick Foles lands on this last as one of the more intriguing options.
Foles, a Super Bowl MVP from 2017, managed to lead an Eagles team to the championship that year despite being considered as just a solid backup. Following his first two productive seasons in the league, Foles bottomed out and entered the tier of "Above-average Backup" rather than "Reliable Starter."
Eagles fans will forever remember his incredible run after Carson Wentz went down with a torn ACL in Week 14. Foles showed up to play in the 41-33 victory over Tom Brady's Patriots -- he popularized the "Philly Special" and will also always be a special guy in the Eagles history.
That being said, the Jets' situation in 2023 is a little different. Foles was asked to step up late in the regular season with the Eagles already primed to make a playoff run.
Even if Foles can prove he's a consistent starter in 2023, five years removed from his Super Bowl victory, he'll have much stiffer opposition early in the season when the Jets face the Patriots, Cowboys, Chiefs, and his former team, the Eagles, in the following weeks. New York is 1-0 after beating the Bills; however, a playoff berth is far from guaranteed in the cutthroat AFC.
Foles does have ties to Joe Douglas from back in Philly, so this option carries some merit. His post-Philly stints on the Jaguars, Bears, and Colts still may cause the Jets to look the other way.
Aaron Rodgers Replacement No. 3: Joe Flacco
A familiar face returns. Ex-Jets quarterback Joe Flacco feels like the most obvious plug-and-play replacement for Aaron Rodgers, but.... can he still play?
Compared to other veteran free agents, Flacco has been one quarterback more or less lurking in the shadows waiting for the right opportunity. The 38-year-old told ESPN earlier this month that "I'm not anywhere right now" and that "If somebody does need somebody, at least I'm available."
Sounds a tad desperate, but maybe Jets fans can appreciate the sincerity. Flacco started nine games over the last three seasons in New York, throwing 14 touchdowns against six interceptions with a measly 57.5 average pass completion rate.
Flacco's last stints for the Jets lift the curtain and reveal all: he's not a mobile quarterback, he has an okay arm, and most importantly, he already has familiarity with Saleh and other coaches (just not Hackett). Would the Jets start an aging statue over a much maligned and untrustworthy former first-round pick? It's a tough decision. New York is stuck between a rock and a hard (knocks) place.
Aaron Rodgers Replacement No. 2: Carson Wentz
As sad as it is, we know exactly how a Carson Wentz acquisition for the Jets will play out.
The once highly heralded Eagles star has fallen from grace three times: once at the end of his Philly tenure, once in Indy, and once in Washington. He's been ridiculed, made fun of, scoffed at, dissed, and pushed to the margins of the league enough times in his career for him to call it quits and pursue a different hobby.
But Wentz keeps actively trying to get back in the league, no matter how much of his dignity he has to strip away. This offseason, he posted a picture of himself wearing training gear from his last three teams. Kooky, desperate, but at least it shows his willingness to compete? After Rodgers' brutal injury, maybe the Jets begrudgingly give Wentz a call, and the journeyman adds a Jets jersey to his team collection.
At age 31, Wentz is the youngest candidate on this list. He's only two years removed from his Colts' season, which may have ended in utter disaster but truth be told wasn't a wholly disaster. Wentz threw 27 touchdowns against just seven interceptions in all 17 starts, helping the Colts trudge to a 9-8 record. He was arguably the reason the Colts missed the playoffs that year, yet then again, his quarterback play in the regular season got Indy in that position in the first place. As everyone knows, Wentz is a mixed bag.
The one-time Pro Bowler also has a connection to Joe Douglas from their Eagles days and would undoubtedly serve as an upgrade to Zach Wilson.
And one last thing: We as humans keep believing because of a thing called hope. As long as that fact of life exists, Wentz will remain a viable free agent quarterback. To be let down time and time again and still believe -- that's a Jets fan's lifelong vicious cycle in a nutshell. What better player than Wentz to join that cycle?
For his final disappearing act, Wentz, a quarterback associated with crushed dreams like no other, can be the hero for the Jets. Or at least one can hope.
Aaron Rodgers Replacement No. 1: Tom Brady
Tom Brady to the Jets, who says no? A lot of people, probably.
Seeing Brady wear a New York Jets uniform just feels wrong. The Patriots legend joining a playoff-caliber Jets roster to try and take them to a Super Bowl is something out of the Twilight Zone. Not even the NFL could write a script that bonkers.
Brady officially retired for the second time this past February and appears intent on staying that way. Would it hurt the Jets to just give him a call, though? Yes, it would absolutely hurt their pride, but think of the bigger picture.
Tom Brady, age 46, leading the Jets to a Super Bowl victory over the Cowboys with the help of breakout campaigns from Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson. Wilson wins game MVP, Hall wins league's Most Improved, and an entire franchise falls to its knees and sobs, tears of relief and euphoria streaming down, that long-ago cruel twist of fate from Rodgers' injury turning into something so much sweeter.
On Monday's Manningcast, Eli Manning proposed the idea of Woody Johnson calling Brady to come out of retirement. The two Mannings were roasting Zach Wilson all night, so it's clear where they stand.
The Jets would have to completely abandon their morals for the guy, and there's no telling whether Brady would want to play for them, but wouldn't this just be the wildest, craziest, most unhinged thing to happen? Keep the Jets on primetime this year, everyone will want to see how this script plays out.