National Football League

Is an angry Aaron Rodgers good for the New York Jets?

Updated Jun. 17, 2023 7:07 p.m. ET

Could the New York Jets be getting a "pissed-off" Aaron Rodgers next season?

It's possible. In fact, it's actually favorable, according to former Jets head coach Eric Mangini, who recently expressed that an angry version of Rodgers is "exactly" what the team should want.

He cited how Rodgers won an NFL MVP award after his former team, the Green Bay Packers, drafted quarterback Jordan Love and then won the prestigious award again when he had a contract dispute with the storied franchise.

On Thursday's "First Things First," Chris Broussard further explained why the Jets should indeed want Rodgers to play with something to prove.

"I do think the best Aaron Rodgers is the one with the chip on his shoulder, who's upset [and] he's clearly that," Broussard said. "I got one question, though. Was last year about age? Because [what] Mangini's talking about when he (Rodgers) resurrected his career, he was only 35. Now he's 39 [and will] be 40 in December, so was it age or was it the broken thumb that he, to his credit, didn't use as an excuse? I'm now leaning toward the thumb.

"I'm not saying he's gonna win MVP, but I do think he gets closer to that and has a bounce-back year."

Former NFL wide receiver James Jones, who was teammates with Rodgers from 2007-13 and again in 2015, is confident that Rodgers will thrive with the Jets this fall after struggling last season with the Packers.

"When you watch certain games, you still see that Aaron Rodgers of old, the MVP Aaron," Jones said. "The throws are still there. Aaron, I wouldn't say is angry like Coach [Mangini] is saying right now. I've been around an angry Aaron Rodgers that has a chip on his shoulder that wants to go out there and prove something, and I've been around a happy Aaron Rodgers that's out there having fun, and they both dangerous and they both [are] scary.

"You can expect Aaron Rodgers taking the Jets deep into the playoffs."

Rodgers totaled 3,695 passing yards, 26 passing touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a 91.1 passer rating, completing 64.6% of his passes last season. He suffered a broken thumb in a Week 5 loss to the New York Giants but played through the injury.

Rodgers accrued one Super Bowl MVP, four NFL MVPs and 10 Pro Bowl nods in 15 seasons with the Packers.

The Jets acquired the future Hall of Fame quarterback from the Packers for the No. 13, 42 and 207 picks in the 2023 NFL Draft and a conditional 2024 second-round draft pick that becomes a first-rounder if Rodgers plays 65% of the team's snaps. Green Bay sent New York the No. 15 and 170 picks in this year's draft as part of the trade.

The Jets lost their last six games in 2022 to finish 7-10. They started four quarterbacks (Zach Wilson, Joe Flacco, Mike White and Chris Streveler), while their defense surrendered just 311.1 total yards and 18.6 points per game, both good for fourth in the league.

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