New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers has at least one former NFL quarterback cheering him on. Former Rodgers teammate and Super Bowl champion quarterback Brett Favre thinks Rodgers has what it takes to lead New York to the AFC Championship.
#BrettFavre tells @TMZ_Sports that as long as #AaronRodgers stays healthy this season — the Jets will compete for an AFC Championship.
Watch Favre rave about his former teammate 👇 pic.twitter.com/rbtz7yRl4e
— TMZ (@TMZ) September 9, 2024
“He's arguably the greatest playmaker in the game right now,” Favre said of Rodgers, per TMZ.
Favre is also a believer in the Jets defense, calling them one of the best units in the game. The retired gunslinger and Rodgers have a great deal in common. Both of them won Super Bowls for the Green Bay Packers, and both gunslingers left Green Bay for the Jets.
The Jets and their front office are banking on Favre's prediction. The team faces enormous pressure to make the postseason, where it hasn't been in more than a decade. Jets general manager Joe Douglas is working without a contract extension in the last year of his contract, and head coach Robert Saleh is on the hot seat.
Jets fans hope that Rodgers' tenure in New York goes better than Favre's. After leaving Green Bay following the 2007 season, the retired quarterback Favre came to the Big Apple for one season. Favre ended up getting hurt and the team's defense struggled their way to a 9-7 season. New York missed the postseason, and Favre left the franchise to finish his career in Minnesota.
The Jets didn't start the season on the right foot in Week 1
Article Continues Below
Rodgers and the Jets didn't live up to Favre's prediction on Monday. The team started the season 0-1 after New York got shellacked by the San Francisco 49ers, 32-19. The Jets defense gave up a whopping 401 yards to the 49ers, including 221 passing yards.
The Jets didn't fare too much better on offense. New York managed only 14 first downs in the game, and the team posted just 68 rushing yards. That put even more pressure on Rodgers to produce. He finished the game with 167 passing yards, to go with a touchdown and interception. The 40-year-old play caller made his return to the field after missing nearly the entire 2023 season with a torn Achilles tendon.
“I can play better,” Rodgers said after the game, per the Associated Press. “I missed a couple of throws. … I felt overall I got the ball out pretty good but there were some opportunities I’d like to have back.”
New York must immediately fix these glaring problems. The team can't afford an 0-2 start, or Jets fans may start hitting the panic button. New York next plays the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.