The Jets should pivot from Aaron Rodgers and trade for Lamar Jackson
Every QB-needy team in the NFL should be interested in acquiring Lamar Jackson.
More specifically, every team that needs a quarterback as potentially the last piece towards contention should be kicking the tires on what it would take to land perhaps the best quarterback to become available in NFL history.
That no team seems to be interested points to something nefarious to be discussed another day. However, if there is some type of cooperation amongst front offices to avoid giving Jackson the payday he’s seeking, no team outside of Jackson’s current employer would be cutting its nose to spite its face more than the New York Jets.
The Jets are in a unique position to plug in a 26-year-old former league MVP whose best days are ahead of him to a roster that was able to win seven games with Zach Wilson at quarterback — a roster with far more offensive talent than the Baltimore Ravens teams Jackson made a consistent playoff contender. And fans want to see it happen.
Instead, New York is abandoning all self respect in order to land a soon-to-be 40-year-old former league MVP whose interest in playing seems to be year-to-year and whose best days are behind him.
By prioritizing a trade for Aaron Rodgers over Jackson, the Jets would be forgoing a 10-year championship window for a three-year window at the very best.
The approach made sense when it appeared the Ravens and Jackson still had a chance at negotiating a deal, before he was tagged and Rodgers was still the best quarterback thought to be available. It made less sense after the franchise tag made Jackson available for two first-round picks, which is a hefty price but not too much for a franchise quarterback — especially for a team with a solid foundation in place that was prepared to make sacrifices for a much older player.
But now that Jackson has made public a previously unreported trade demand, New York’s approach should shift altogether. Jackson should be Plan A. He wants a new situation, and no team can provide a better one. There are ways to make the money work — just ask the Cleveland Browns, who restructured Deshaun Watson’s fully guaranteed deal to create $36 million in cap space.
No one would ever argue Jackson has been a better player than Rodgers over their careers, but you can make the case he was a better player last season. There’s no question who has the brighter future. Not to mention, Jackson has so much more time to grow with young stars like Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall. And injury history shouldn’t be a concern when the alternative is a 39-year-old.
Outside of potentially contending for titles, the Jets would be must-see football — just like the Ravens were, and just like any other team would be with Jackson at quarterback. But the only team we know to be actively shopping for a starter is the Jets, and the decision on which one they should be pursuing seems like an easy one.