Let’s give the New York Jets credit for this: They didn’t panic, and they didn’t jump.
Former free agent Derek Carr met with the franchise twice about trying to turn a very promising 7-10 team into a playoff team.
Carr was undoubtedly a good fit – a good, and at times very good, veteran quarterback who could make up for the mistakes of Zach Wilson last year and drive the defense to a big season. However, he was not the best possible acquisition, the one that could conceivably turn Gang Green into a legitimate AFC contender.
That would be Aaron Rodgers.
The Jets probably could have found a way to make it work with Carr. They could have pounced on a QB who always felt a degree of undesirability in Las Vegas. They could have given out a big contract.
Instead, they tried to play the long game and wait for Rodgers to finish his dark retreat and podcast tour and make a decision about his future.
It cost them Carr, who agreed to terms Monday with New Orleans on a four-year deal. However, it kept hope alive that Rodgers would indeed leave the Green Bay Packers and come to New York.
Time will tell if it was a mistake. But even if Rodgers decides to retire, force a trade elsewhere or even stay in Green Bay — thereby leaving the Jets on Plan C — the motivation and thought process that made New York so good.
Don’t settle down.
Carr is good. Rodgers is potentially great.
New York hasn’t been to the playoffs in a dozen years. He is worth the risk.
And if Rodgers doesn’t happen, well, there are Carr-esque backup options that include Jimmy Garoppolo to even a wild franchise overhaul with a massive trade for Lamar Jackson. The next step may not be too much down. New York can handle it if necessary.
Right now it’s Rodgers or bust. Right now, it’s a case of waiting for Rodgers to decide on his future while working with Green Bay on terms that could make a deal work if it comes to that.
Rodgers turns 40 in December and is coming off a season in which he threw just 26 touchdowns against 12 interceptions and the Pack missed the playoffs. Still, there’s plenty of play that can still be tapped there, at least if Rodgers wants to tap it.
He would bring a level of talent, star power and been-there, check-out-my-bunch-of-MVP leadership that the Jets sorely lack. If he commits to working with players in the offseason (no guarantees there) he could make a huge impact immediately.
The Jets have a young defense that speaks to being a true contender. Defensive rookie of the year cornerback Sauce Gardner, linebacker CJ Mosley and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams were all named to an All-Pro team. They allowed an average of just 18.6 points per game last year, fourth best in the league.
The problem is that they scored an average of just 17.4 points per game (29th out of 32 teams in the league). QB was the problem, namely former second overall draft pick Wilson who struggled to develop. Still, Rodgers will find some positives there, including an offensive rookie of the year in wide receiver Garrett Wilson.
Is a young, exciting team in the nation’s media capital enough to keep Rodgers in the game? Or does the idea of taking on the daunting AFC, where the Jets wouldn’t even be favored to win their division (Buffalo) let alone get past Cincinnati or Kansas City, have him heading in a different direction?
Nobody knows for sure. Rodgers has promised a decision soon because he says he doesn’t want to drag this out, but of course he tends to drag it out every offseason.
One potential hurdle is trying to afford Rodgers, who will be owed close to $60 million next season. Maybe Green Bay needs to step in. Or maybe (not likely) Rodgers is reworking things.
Only Rodgers knows. Maybe.
If he comes to New York, then all this will be worth it. ESPN reported that Carr was leaning toward the Jets, so they probably could have had him if they wanted him or thought it was the only option. If so, the decision by the Jets to let Carr walk away suggests some confidence that the deal for Rodgers is still possible.
So now they wait for Rodgers, believing that no matter what, there is a quarterback option out there that will be an upgrade over Wilson.
If it all blows up on them and it’s not, well, at least they pushed for the big catch.
When you’ve been down as long as New York has without a winner, you have to at least appreciate the gutsy effort.
