NY Jets news: Aaron Rodgers praise, Jets rising stars, D.J. Reed is underrated

NY Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been showered with praise since his arrival earlier this offseason. Fans, analysts, coaches, and teammates alike have offered their fair share of compliments to the Jets' new franchise quarterback.

We recently sat down with Jets punter Thomas Morstead to discuss his observations from OTAs, and one of the biggest talking points was his takeaway from working alongside Rodgers.

Morstead compared Rodgers to another legendary QB who he knows very well from their time together in New Orleans, Drew Brees, while insisting that both quarterbacks raise the standard of expectation around the team.

"[Rodgers is] a guy who elevates the energy. There's an aura. He's different than Drew, but similar in the fact that the level of expectation from everyone just automatically rises when he's on the field."

- Thomas Morstead

To view the full quote and read the entire interview in its entirety, you can click this link. There was plenty to discuss!

Other NY Jets news

Jets have a pair of 'rising stars'

The NFLPA recently released a list of 10 rookies and 10 veterans who they feel are the true "rising stars" of the NFL. The Jets saw two of their players qualify for the veterans list.

The list was primarily used to determine players the NFLPA believes will earn spots on the NFL's Top 50 Player Sales charts. Essentially, these are the players the league believes will sell a lot of jerseys this year.

Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson and running back Breece Hall both earned spots on the list, coming in at No. 2 and No. 4, respectively. Sauce Gardner was a notable omission, although that's likely due to the fact that his jersey sale numbers are already too high to be considered for this list.

This Jets roster is full of young, ascending talent, and the duo of Wilson and Hall are a perfect representation of that.

D.J. Reed is the most underrated player on the Jets

Given how dominant Sauce Gardner was as a rookie last season, one player who tended to get overlooked was fellow cornerback D.J. Reed. Reed deserves just as much praise for his performance in 2022.

USA Today's Doug Farrar recently released a list of the most underrated player on every NFL team, and for the Jets, Reed earned the nomination — rightfully so.

Among cornerbacks with at least 600 coverage snaps, Reed's 77.5 Pro Football Focus coverage grade ranked sixth (Gardner ranked first). He also allowed the third-fewest yards among qualifiers and the fifth-fewest yards per catch despite the third-highest average depth of target.

Reed was one of the best cornerbacks in football last season. Jets fans know this, and it's time the rest of the NFL caught on as well.