Jets' Aaron Rodgers Heavily Affects AFC East Quarterback Hierarchy

Gang Green goes from the bottom to near the top in our divisional rankings

Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports

There's a new 39-year old quarterback on the block, so the time is right for updated AFC East QB Rankings.

The New York Jets are the lone division member featuring a new starting signal caller after bringing in future Hall-of-Famer Aaron Rodgers, a man who has four NFL MVP awards and a Super Bowl MVP to boot.

All four AFC East teams brought new backups in during the 2023 offseason. 

Free agent Mike White left the Jets for Miami and Gang Green responded by adding former Green Bay Packer Tim Boyle. With Case Keenum going from Buffalo to Houston, the Bills inked Kyle Allen. The Pats still have Bailey Zappe, but welcomed Trace McSorley into the mix. 

Unfortunately, there's not enough time to rank the second-stringers at this point, so we are sticking only with starters today.

The Jets have risen from the basement with Rodgers at the helm. Meanwhile, Tua Tagovailoa did not clear concussion protocol until well into the offseason, but the Miami Dolphins starter has reportedly returned to full health and is ready to shoulder the load in 2023. 

The New England Patriots appear ready to run it back with third-year field general Mac Jones. Only this time, they'll do it with Bill O'Brien calling the plays.

Then, there's Buffalo's Josh Allen. 

Football is a young man's game and the spry soon-to-be 27-year old Allen is king in this division even with Rodgers' arrival. 

With that said, the Jets are no longer impotent at the most important position on the field and they have a legit chance to end the franchise's postseason drought.

1 - Josh Allen (Bills)

2022 stats: 16 games, 4,283 pass yards, 63.3 comp pct., 35 TD passes, 14 INT, 7.6 ypa, 762 rush yards, 6.1 ypc, 7 TD rushes (QBR: 71.4)

Bills' QB Josh Allen / Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

The physical freak has been a top-five MVP candidate each of the past three seasons, owning a 17-3 record (including playoffs) against AFC East foes over that time span. The Jets have actually been responsible for two of those three losses, but there is no denying that Allen is a special quarterback, who is just hitting the prime of his career.

The 6-foot-5 Allen has thrown for 4,200+ yards and 35+ touchdown passes three years in a row. There have only been two seasons in NFL history during which a player has passed for more than 4,000 yards while rushing for more than 750 yards. Allen is responsible for both of them (2021, 2022).

No NFL signal caller has accounted for as many total touchdowns (177) through his first five seasons than Allen, who broke the record set by Dan Marino (171) in 1987. He played the second half of the 2022 season with an injured UCL ligament on his throwing arm (courtesy of Bryce Huff), but still managed to post the NFL's second-highest QBR (71.4) behind Patrick Mahomes (77.6).

In 16 games last fall, Allen totaled 5,045 yards of total offense and 42 touchdowns.

2 - Aaron Rodgers (Jets)

2022 stats: 17 games, 3695 pass yards, 64.6 comp pct, 26 TD passes, 12 INT, 6.8 ypa, 1 TD rush (QBR: 39.3)

Jets' QB Aaron Rodgers / Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Rodgers will go down as one of the greatest of all-time in terms of NFL passers. He ranks ninth in league history with 59,055 pass yards and fifth overall with 475 TD passes.

The four-time NFL MVP is an instant upgrade for the Jets and should noticeably improve the team's offensive output. On the surface, he logged a 64.6 completion percentage with 26 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions during a 2022 season where four Jets' quarterbacks combined for 14 scoring strikes, 14 interceptions and a 56.98 completion rate. Use caution, however, when making those Super Bowl plans, Jets' fans.

Broken thumb or not, Rodgers appeared to lose a half-step last year. His yards per pass (6.8) dropped to the second-lowest level of his career and he failed to hit the 4,000-yard passing mark for the first time since 2017. 

Remember, Rodgers was unable to will the Packers into the playoffs by winning the regular season finale at home against Detroit. The 39-year old likely still has some magic left in that right arm, but Father Time is undefeated. The Jets are banking on the idea that there's enough gas left in the tank to take them to Las Vegas in February. Despite his age, he's still the second most-potent QB in the division.

3 - Tua Tagovailoa (Dolphins)

2022 stats: 13 games, 3,548 pass yards, 64.8 comp pct., 25 TD passes, 8 INT, 8.9 ypa (QBR: 68.8)

Dolphins' QB Tua Tagovailoa / Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Tagovailoa was producing at a torrid pace during Year 3 in Miami, but he had trouble staying on the field with concussion issues clouding his playing future. 

Clearly benefitting from the addition of Tyreek Hill and and speedy draft pick Jaylen Waddle, the southpaw signal caller averaged an eye-popping 8.9 yards per pass attempt. He was leading the NFL in passing through 11 games in 2022.

Tagovailoa's is a precise passer, but lacks the pure arm strength to make certain throws. He has shown a fierce competitive streak and clearly fits well in Mike McDaniel's offense. Miami can win with the 6-foot-1 lefty at the controls, but the ceiling is lower than Allen and the Bills as well as Rodgers and the Jets. 

Additionally, there has to be a reason why former Miami head coach Brian Flores preferred journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick over Tagovailoa before being terminated. Then, there's the health factor. Having suffered multiple known head injuries within a short span of time, the quarterback's career can be jeopardized by the next hit he takes.

4 - Mac Jones (Patriots)

2022 stats: 14 games, 2,997 pass yards, 65.2 comp pct., 14 TD passes, 11 INT, 6.8 ypa, 1 TD rush (QBR: 36.1)

Patriots' QB Mac Jones / Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports

Jones showed potential to be a viable NFL starter as a rookie in 2021, but things turned bizarre during his sophomore season in New England. Likely suffering from the lack of an offensive coordinator (remember the whole Matt Patricia/Joe Judge play caller saga?), Jones posted a 6-8 record as a starter and his yards per pass dropped to 6.8.

The former Alabama quarterback, who fell out of favor at one point, missed two mid-season starts due to an ankle injury with rookie Bailey Zappe leading the Pats to two wins in Jones' absence.  Jones appeared to voice his displeasure of the team's offensive decision-making on the sidelines during a Week 13 game against the Bills on Prime Video. Lipreaders caught the second-year starter saying, "Throw the [expletive] ball ... the [expletive] running game [expletive]."

In 31 starts for the Pats, Jones averaged 219.3 pass yards per game and has thrown 36 touchdown passes compared to 24 interceptions. His NFL ceiling is Chad Pennington and even that may be a bit out of his reach.

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