New York Jets Star Aaron Rodgers Still Held in High Regard by NFL Peers

New York Jets veteran Aaron Rodgers was voted highly by his NFL peers when answering quarterback questions.

Aug 24, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) walks on the field following the game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. / Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

All eyes on the New York Jets during the 2024 NFL season are going to be focused on star quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

After suffering a brutal Achilles injury on the fourth offensive snap of the season, there has been a lot of chatter about what the veteran quarterback will bring to the table for the Jets. Turning 41 years old in December, what could he have left in the tank?

Succeeding in the NFL at that age is going to be hard enough; doing so while coming off an Achilles injury and not playing a full game since January 2023 complicates things even more.

New York hasn’t had a fully operating offense because of their quarterback in a long time. Their last two seasons have been torpedoed because of underwhelming performance under center.

Alas, the Jets don’t need Rodgers to play at the MVP level he showcased throughout his career. Even the 2022 Green Bay Packers version, which many people crushed, would be a massive upgrade for Gang Green.

What version of Rodgers will we see on opening night for New York against the San Francisco 49ers? His peers believe it will be an elite version.

Over at ESPN, 103 NFL players were asked six questions about quarterbacks in the league. Rodgers was among the top five players to receive a vote when they were asked to rank the top three signal-callers in the NFL.

He received 32 points in a weighted system where first place received three points, second was two and third was one.

Coming in first place was Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs with 291 points. A distant second place was Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens with 124 points. Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals was third with 51 points and Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills was fourth with 39.

The other question where Rodgers was mentioned often was when players were asked to rank the top trash talkers in the league.

The future Hall of Famer came in at No. 3 on that list, receiving 15 first place votes. Only Allen with 26 and Baker Mayfield of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with 17, ranked ahead of Rodgers.

"[Rodgers] knows what you're going to do before you do it, so he has those mind games," an NFC West player said. "He gets out there and he'll just stare at you, and you don't know what to do. Like, 'Why are you staring at me?' type of thing.

"So, more of an intellectual trash talk."

Rodgers isn’t afraid of the in-your-face upfront trash talk either. He let Chicago Bears fans know exactly what he felt about them and their team when he yelled “I still own you” to people in the stands after scoring a touchdown.

That bravado and confidence is something that Jets fans are hoping he can provide their team with for however long he is the quarterback.