Ranking the NY Jets and every AFC East quarterback room

NY Jets, Aaron Rodgers
NY Jets, Aaron Rodgers / Rich Schultz/GettyImages
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2. NY Jets

  • Aaron Rodgers
  • Zach Wilson
  • Tim Boyle
  • Chris Streveler

The Jets earn the nod for the No. 2 spot based solely on Aaron Rodgers' upside. Rodgers is coming off a down year in 2022 that saw him finish with 26 touchdowns and 12 interceptions — the most since his first year as a starter in 2008.

The four-time MVP battled a thumb injury that clearly hindered his performance. The Jets are hoping that his 2022 season was an injury-spurred anomaly and not a sign of things to come.

At his best, Rodgers is absolutely still one of the NFL's elite quarterbacks. He's been named the league's MVP in two of the last three seasons and, prior to 2022, was inarguably still a top-five quarterback.

There are reasons to believe that he will bounce back in 2023. His supporting cast has improved, he's once again paired with Nathaniel Hackett, and his thumb injury has healed. Rodgers' upside allows the Jets to have legitimate Super Bowl aspirations this season.

The issue with the Jets' quarterback room starts behind Rodgers. You'd be hard-pressed to find a more uninspiring trio of backup quarterbacks on any roster in the NFL.

Zach Wilson has been an unmitigated disaster through two seasons. Given what we've seen to this point, he's hardly even a roster-worthy NFL quarterback. Tim Boyle was one of the only free-agent options with a worse pedigree than Wilson. Chris Streveler is a bonafide running back playing QB.

If Rodgers is forced to miss a few games due to injury, the Jets have no capable backup on their roster. Rodgers is enough to carry the Jets to the No. 2 spot on this list, but with a competent backup, it wouldn't even have been a discussion.