It’s not like Aaron Rodgers with the New York Jets was a complete disaster like Johnny Unitas with the Chargers or Joe Namath with the Rams. But it wasn’t great either.
When it comes to assessing legacies, chatter about any legend “ruining” it with a random team at the end is overblown. We can and still do speak about Michael Jordan often without bringing up the Washington Wizards. But nobody wants to end their career falling down in the outfield in a random uniform either.
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Rodgers has the chance to write a different final chapter now. He informed the Pittsburgh Steelers he’ll sign with them next week before the team’s minicamp. The final view of Rodgers won’t be in a disappointing season with the Jets, but with a historically successful franchise that gives him a chance for a better ending.
It sounds a lot like the story of Rodgers’ old teammate Brett Favre.
Aaron Rodgers gets another shot with Steelers
Had Favre ended his career after his time with the Jets it wouldn’t have looked that bad (on the field, anyway). Favre wasn’t terrible with the Jets. A late-season injury to Favre’s throwing arm probably prevented him from leading the Jets to the playoffs. But it wouldn’t have been an ending that left anyone feeling like it added anything to his legacy.
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Favre did add to his legacy with the Minnesota Vikings. He played at an MVP level in 2009, posting the highest passer rating of his career, and almost took the Vikings to their first Super Bowl since the 1970s. When you think of Favre’s final seasons, his highlights with the Vikings provide a positive vibe (again, on the field).
Nobody expects Rodgers to play at an MVP level in his last (?) NFL stop, but nobody thought Favre could do it either. Rodgers lands with a much better organization than the Jets, one that offers him a chance to make the playoffs. The Steelers made the playoffs last season with Russell Wilson, after all. We can’t rule out Rodgers having a revival this season with a better team.
One reason is Rodgers was much better than anyone remembers late last season.
Aaron Rodgers told the Steelers he will sign with the team next week. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
(Al Bello via Getty Images)
How will Rodgers fare in Pittsburgh?
The narrative on Rodgers’ time with the Jets is that it was a failure, and on a team level that’s accurate. The Jets didn’t bend over backwards for Rodgers to win five games in which he started. They couldn’t have anticipated an Achilles injury on opening night in 2023, but it didn’t work out as anyone hoped.
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Yet, Rodgers played pretty well after a slow start last season. Over New York’s last 10 games he had 2,234 yards, 18 touchdowns, four interceptions and a 97 passer rating. There were some bad games in that stretch, particularly a miserable day at the Buffalo Bills in December, but it wasn’t that bad. It wasn’t the MVP level we’re used to seeing from Rodgers, but he was a perfectly reasonable quarterback for most of the season.
That wouldn’t be what anyone would have remembered, just a 5-12 season and an ending that left everyone unsatisfied. That’s why this last shot with the Steelers is important to Rodgers’ career. It will likely be our last look at him as he winds down one of the greatest careers in NFL history. If he finished it after that unfulfilling season with the Jets, it wouldn’t have been a fitting farewell.
This season with the Steelers gives him a shot at something much better.
