QB Confidence Index: Where Aaron Rodgers' Jets Rank
In Aaron Rodgers they trust.
The New York Jets are running it back with their future Hall-of-Fame quarterback, hoping the 40-year-old can successfully recover from major surgery and return to the form that resulted in four NFL MVP Awards.
How much confidence should the Jets have in their quarterback situation entering the 2024 offseason? Are they setting themselves up for disappointment? According to Sports Illustrated's Quarterback Confidence Index, Jets' fans should hold off on booking that trip to New Orleans, for now at least.
SI writer Matthew Verderame graded the Jets at 6.5 on the 1-to-10 scale.
"For our quarterback confidence index, we’re factoring in talent, age, contract, cap hit and injury history to give us our number between 1 and 10. The higher the number, the more confidence there is," explained Verderame.
The Jets' 6.5 index, which ties them with the AFC East rival Miami Dolphins, is higher than seven other AFC teams. Seven teams posted better numbers than Gang Green. Comprising the Top 4, the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs both scored 10s with the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens posting 9.0 ratings.
The good news is that Rodgers was activated off Injured Reserve in December and reportedly looked sharp during practices with the team. The prolific passer provided a health update during an appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience earlier this month.
Beyond the physical ability to throw the ball as well as anyone who has ever played in the NFL, Rodgers has proven the ability to effectively lead an offense. Specifically, he has thrived in the offensive scheme employed by coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.
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"Aaron is the offense. I’m serious," said starting receiver Garrett Wilson during a postseason radio interview on ESPN New York's Bart and Hahn show. "He's going to do some stuff to change the play, to get to a call. It really unlocks a side of offense that’s, whenever you’re running it, it works well."
During three seasons (2019-21) featuring the Rodgers-Hackett combination, the Packers averaged 13 wins per year with the quarterback accounting for 111 total touchdowns and only 13 interceptions.
The question is can Rodgers return to that elite level of performance at this stage in his career? Will Rodgers make enough of a difference for the Jets, who ranked 31st in total offense (268.6) last season? This one could realistically go either way.
Writes SI:
"The Jets are in a very intriguing situation. Aaron Rodgers will be 41 years old next season while coming off a torn Achilles. He could return to the form that helped him win MVP awards in 2019 and ’20. Or he could look like a 41-year-old with a bad wheel playing behind a terrible offensive line. We shall see."
