Turns out Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers have more things in common than just being two of the greatest quarterbacks to ever live.
As Rodgers enters his first season with the New York Jets, he joins Brady as an aging quarterback who left his long-time team in search of a reinvigoration in the game he loves. The seven-time Super Bowl champion may be retired, but he’s had plenty of experience with what Rodgers is trying to do.
In Brady’s eyes, he’s already seen that reinvigoration for Rodgers as he prepares for Week 1.
“There’s a different energy about it,” Brady said on his Let’s Go Podcast with Larry Fitzgerald and Jimy Gray on SiriusXM. “You get to go to a new place with a different type of emotional energy. I’m excited for him.”
Brady left the Patriots after 20 seasons and won a Super Bowl with a down-on-their-luck Buccaneers franchise. When the quarterback entered Tampa Bay, he took control of a franchise that had the lowest winning percentage in NFL history and won them a title in just their first year.
The Jets may not be as historically helpless as the Bucs have been, but they have certainly been looking for a savior. New York hasn’t won the AFC East since 2002 and hasn’t won a playoff game since 2010 – knocking off a Brady-led Patriots unit on the road. Even more important, the Jets haven’t won a Super Bowl since Joe Namath’s guarantee in the late 60s.
Rodgers’ first year in New York won’t be easy. Gang Green has a difficult schedule ahead of them, and they play in a conference loaded with supreme quarterback talent. Luckily, the Jets are also loaded with talent on both sides of the football – much like the Buccaneers were when Brady came to them in 2020.
It’s that talent level alone that makes Brady believe that a big year could be in store for the Jets with Rodgers at quarterback.
“They have a really good team. When he’s had good receivers, man, it’s pretty dangerous. I think he’s going to have a great year,” Brady later said.
If Rodgers is able to make a winner out of a Jets franchise so known for losing, he will become immortalized even more than he already was going to be in NFL history. Much like Brady has become post-retirement, the opportunity for Rodgers is there for the taking with the Jets.
Time will tell if the team is able to seize that opportunity.
Aaron Rodgers Updated MVP Odds
- Patrick Mahomes: +700
- Joe Burrow: +700
- Josh Allen: +700
- Justin Herbert: +900
- Jalen Hurts: +1200
- Aaron Rodgers: +1600
