Aaron Rodgers doesn’t even play for the New York Jets (yet) but he’s already getting quite the tabloid treatment in the Big Apple. The morning after the future Hall of Famer said his intention was to play for the Jets in 2023, three New York newspapers had screaming headlines featuring Rodgers on Thursday.

The New York Post is the longstanding tabloid king in New York, known for eye-popping headlines including the infamous “Headless Man in Topless Bar” classic from the 1970’s. They put Rodgers on the front page Thursday, using a Top Gun theme.

Rodgers owned the back page of Newsday. Its headline riffed off the Billy Joel song “New York State of Mind,” with a nod to “NYJ” instead of New York.

The least creative production from the three local tabloids was by The Daily News. Though it did have a full color photo on the back page, The Daily News stated simply “A Real Shot In The Arm.”

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Typically, the Jets grab headlines in New York for all the wrong reasons. They haven’t made the playoffs in 12 seasons, the longest drought in the NFL. Their only Super Bowl appearance was in 1969 when another No. 12, Joe Namath, led the Jets to a 16-7 upset win over the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III.

But if the Jets consummate a trade with the Green Bay Packers for Aaron Rodgers, they can count on star treatment from the tabloids. Not only should they be a legitimate Super Bowl contender, but the mercurial Rodgers likely will provide much fodder for the local headline writers.

All it will take is another darkness retreat. Or a march to Super Bowl LVIII.