There’s no guarantee Rodgers will arrive in East Rutherford, N.J., and instantly elevate the Jets to Super Bowl contender status — or even to the first or second rung in a loaded AFC East. But even a 39-year-old, potentially diminished version of the Packers icon should be an exponential upgrade over Zach Wilson, who was so ineffective and unpopular in New York that he was demoted to third string less than two years after being drafted No. 2 overall.
That demotion came after Wilson went 9-for-22 for 77 yards in a 10-3 loss in New England. The Jets held the Patriots to one total offensive touchdown over their two meetings this season but lost both, thanks in large part to Wilson’s struggles. (He threw three interceptions in the first as the Pats won 22-17.)
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick clearly still holds Rodgers in high regard.
“Rodgers is just too good,” Belichick said after the Packers knocked off New England in overtime last October. “He made some throws that only Rodgers can make. We had pretty good coverage on some of those, and he’s just too smart, too good, too accurate, and in the end, he got us.”
Barring an injury, extreme regression or (very possible) behind-the-scenes blowup, Rodgers should deliver the Jets at least a few extra wins in 2023. Elsewhere in the division, the top-dog Buffalo Bills still have Josh Allen and a highly talented roster, and the Miami Dolphins, who looked legit when Tua Tagovailoa was healthy last season, made moves to beef up their defense, including the hiring of respected coordinator Vic Fangio and a blockbuster trade for cornerback Jalen Ramsey.
And then there are the Patriots, who made offseason improvements of their own.
From a coaching perspective, they’re undeniably better off after cutting bait on the Matt Patricia/Joe Judge experiment and hiring new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien and O-line coach Adrian Klemm. They seem to be stronger roster-wise, too. New England made several offensive signings that, if all goes to plan, should be upgrades (JuJu Smith-Schuster in for Jakobi Meyers; Mike Gesicki replacing Jonnu Smith; Riley Reiff and Calvin Anderson bringing some short-term stability at tackle) and brought back nearly every member of a defense that ranked third in Football Outsiders’ DVOA last season, save for retired safety Devin McCourty. Belichick and company will have another opportunity to add talent when the draft kicks off Thursday night.
On paper, this Patriots team is better than the one that finished a mediocre 8-9 last season and missed the playoffs, extending the franchise’s streak of years without a postseason win to four. But will it be enough to make a difference in a division that now might be the NFL’s best? Oddsmakers aren’t buying that.
