Ranking the NFL Starting Quarterbacks
#6 Aaron Rodgers (New York Jets)
I originally had Aaron Rodgers as the #2 quarterback on my list. Then he missed two days of mandatory mini-camp. I don’t see how he can possibly be even half the quarterback he would have been had he shown up for those practices.
Calm down, we can make jokes.
Rodgers will be just fine this season. Or at very least, if he does struggle, it won’t be because of the mini-camp drama.
The Achilles injury is a legitimate concern, however. Rodgers had started to lean less and less on his mobility prior to the injury. But that ability to evade within the pocket and buy time, or scramble for the occasional first down, or make plays outside of structure has always been a key part of his game. It still was to some extent in 2022. So if he isn’t quite as fleet-footed because of last year’s injury, it absolutely could impact how he plays.
Outside of that, I really don’t have many concerns about Rodgers’ ability to perform at a high level. The biggest reason why is that he’s probably still the best quarterback in the league when it comes to the most important attributes - accuracy and ball placement.
Even during the 2022 season, which was one of the worst of his career, you could still look through just about any of his games and see 3 to 5 throws like these:
The physical ability is still there, and so are the “wow!” throws we’ve seen throughout his career.
The uncharacteristic misses we saw in 2022 were undoubtedly caused by the broken thumb on his throwing hand. That type of injury is not a small thing. It’s not a minor inconvenience. Anything impacting grip, touch, or feel for a quarterback is going to have an effect. This is particularly true for a player like Rodgers, where precision is such a huge part of his game.
Not to mention, it isn’t the highlight-worthy throws that separate the great quarterbacks from the good ones. It’s consistency. And Rodgers wasn’t able to be his normal consistent self in 2022 because of his thumb.
Assuming no other fluke injuries (cross your fingers Jets fans), a healthy Rodgers in 2024 will be a huge difference-maker for the Jets. You’ll obviously see the great throws and big plays. But it’s the little things that he’ll bring to the offense that will keep them on schedule and consistent.
Rodgers has seen it all at this point in his career. And one of his greatest strengths is his ability to recognize the defense and quickly process. You’ll see plenty of nondescript 10 and 11-yard gains like the examples below where he’ll spot a blitz and get the ball out with that lightning-fast release on a “smoke” or RPO play:
You’ll see him make adjustments at the line in key moments and use his football acumen to his advantage, like on this next play from Week 10 of the 2022 season against the Cowboys.
It appeared he recognized something in the defense and gave Allen Lazard a hand signal pre-snap. Instead of Lazard stalk blocking for what would be a designed quick throw to the flat, he broke off and ran a slant:
A nice tendency-breaker to beat the defense and set up the game-winning field goal that afternoon:
But getting back to that physical ability, throws that aren’t open to other quarterbacks are open to Rodgers. He’s particularly comfortable and aggressive attacking 1-on-1 situations on the outside when he gets a matchup he likes:
Even if it isn’t a true 1-on-1 and the defense spins out into a 2-shell look, he can still find the opening:
There is always a throw to beat the coverage in a 1-on-1 situation. And because of Rodgers’ pinpoint accuracy, he can hit those routes at will. This is one way he’s able to calm things down when the defense is throwing lots of disguises or movement at him in the middle of the field. Just hit a 1-on-1 on the outside.
Despite the age and recent injury history, Rodgers still has all the most important attributes that it takes to play the position at a consistently high level. There is no reason to believe he won’t have the Jets Offense rolling on all cylinders in 2024.
Check out the rest of the rankings here:
#32 Bo Nix (Denver Broncos)
#31 Drake Maye (New England Patriots)
#30 J.J. McCarthy (Minnesota Vikings)
#29 Gardner Minshew (Las Vegas Raiders)
#28 Will Levis (Tennessee Titans)
#27 Deshaun Watson (Cleveland Browns)
#26 Anthony Richardson (Indianapolis Colts)
#25 Bryce Young (Carolina Panthers)
#24 Daniel Jones (New York Giants)
#23 Jayden Daniels (Washington Commanders)
#22 Caleb Williams (Chicago Bears)
#21 Geno Smith (Seattle Seahawks)
#20 Russell Wilson (Pittsburgh Steelers)
#19 Derek Carr (New Orleans Saints)
#18 Baker Mayfield (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
#17 Kyler Murray (Arizona Cardinals)
#16 Trevor Lawrence (Jacksonville Jaguars)
#15 Jared Goff (Detroit Lions)
#14 Tua Tagovailoa (Miami Dolphins)
#13 Kirk Cousins (Atlanta Falcons)
#12 Jalen Hurts (Philadelphia Eagles)
#11 Brock Purdy (San Francisco 49ers)
#10 Jordan Love (Green Bay Packers)
#9 Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys)
#8 C.J. Stroud (Houston Texans)
#7 Justin Herbert (Los Angeles Chargers)
#6 Aaron Rodgers (New York Jets)
#5 Matthew Stafford (Los Angeles Rams)
#4 Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens)
#3 Joe Burrow (Cincinnati Bengals)
#2 Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills)
#1 Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs)