Dolphins Fallout from Rodgers News
It finally has happened: Aaron Rodgers has been traded to the New York Jets, where the Miami Dolphins now will have to face twice in the 2023 season.
The long-anticipated trade between the Green Bay Packers and Jets finally happened Monday in a blockbuster trade that, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, will send Rodgers, the 15th overall pick in the 2023 draft and a 2023 fifth-round pick to New York in exchange for the 13th overall pick, a 2023 second-round pick and sixth-round pick, and a conditional 2024 second-round pick that will become a first-round pick if Rodgers plays 65 percent of the plays in the upcoming season.
While there can be debate as to whether the Jets gave up too much for Rodgers considering he told the Pat McAfee Show he was at one point this offseason 90 percent he was going to retire remains to be seen, but there are some indisputable facts as it related to this trade.
AARON RODGERS WILL MAKE JETS AFC EAST CONTENDERS
Just like that, the Jets are instant contenders in the AFC East, whether Dolphins fans want to accept it or not.
For one thing, let's remember that odds from Caesars and Draft Kings both had the Jets listed as second-favorites to win the AFC East behind the Buffalo Bills when word of a potential Rodgers trade surfaced.
While he didn't have a great 2022 season, Rodgers did play through a thumb injury for over a month and also let's not forget that Rodgers won a second consecutive NFL MVP award just two seasons ago.
And, yes, Rodgers will turn 40 in December, and this is where we remind everyone that Tom Brady also was 40 when he won the NFL MVP in 2017 during one of his final seasons with the New England Patriots.
We're not suggesting that Rodgers will have the same kind of success at that age as Brady, but we are saying that it would be silly to downplay the significance of the Jets' addition at quarterback.
WHY THE JETS SHOULD BE DANGEROUS WITH AARON RODGERS AT QB
New York did finish 7-10 last season, but that came while the Jets used four different starting quarterbacks — Zach Wilson, Joe Flacco, new Dolphins backup Mike White and Chris Streveler.
The Jets lost their final six games after being in the thick of the AFC East race at 7-4 and never topped six points in any of their final three losses when all four of the quarterbacks took snaps.
To be sure, it wasn't all about the quarterback because the Jets offensive line was an absolute mess and the running game never recovered from the loss of rookie Breece Hall to a torn ACL in the middle of the season.
So, yes, the Jets will need to shore up their offensive line if they hope to contend, but they already do have a very, very good defense along with a pretty good set of wide receivers.
DOLPHINS HOPING FOR REPEAT OF 2008
For those who believe in omens or coincidences, the last time the Dolphins won the AFC East came after the Jets acquired a longtime Packers quarterback, in that instance Brett Favre.
While much has been made of the Favre experiment with the Jets being a failure, it also should be mentioned that New York led the AFC East with an 8-3 record before Favre sustained a significant injury to his throwing shoulder and struggled down the stretch.
Of course, nothing ever is guaranteed when it comes to injuries — as the Dolphins know very well.
The Dolphins split their season series with the Jets last season, losing at MetLife Stadium in October in what ironically was 2021 second overall pick Zach Wilson's best performance in his first two seasons.
Miami won the rematch in the season finale to clinch a playoff spot when its defense smothered Flacco in an 11-6 victory.
That came two weeks after the Dolphins lost against Green Bay, dropping them to 1-3 against Rodgers. The Dolphins defeated Rodgers and the Packers at Lambeau Field in overtime in 2010 before losing at Miami in 2014 and at Green Bay in 2018.
THE PRIME-TIME POSSIBILITIES
One final offshoot of Rodgers going to New York is that it increases the possibility of a Dolphins-Jets game becoming a prime-time game.
With their high-flying offense and their success of 2022, the Dolphins figure to get their share of prime-time games in the upcoming season and the Jets clearly now have the marquee player to go with their big-city appeal.
Truth is, though, there are options all over the place when it comes to potential Dolphins prime-time games, including their two battles against the Buffalo Bills, plus matchups against the Eagles, Chiefs, Ravens and a potential rematch between Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert and the Chargers.
