Aaron Rodgers Robert Saleh

Jets coach Robert Saleh details impact Aaron Rodgers has already had on ‘really young team’

It might have taken a while to finalize, but Aaron Rodgers is officially a member of the New York Jets. And the team is already feeling the presence of having a quarterback with 18 years of experience under his belt.

The Jets are a team that has stockpiled young talent over recent years. Last season, many viewed them as just a quarterback away from being a true contender in the AFC. Now, they have that. But Rodgers’ impact has extended beyond the team’s potential on the field. He even took in New York on Saturday night, catching a playoff game between the Rangers and New Jersey Devils.

Jets head coach Robert Saleh spoke to the media on Saturday, and he had nothing but praise for Rodgers and the way he has already impacted his new team in New York. Rodgers’ familiarity with Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett has also been an important factor early on.

“We’re a really, really young team, especially on offense and just to watch him and Nathaniel [Hackett] and the way they communicate together and he’s already made his presence felt with regards to meetings and input, just discussions on all of the different things we’re trying to get accomplished on offense, so he’s a tremendous human, first and foremost, Aaron is,” Saleh said. “Just listening, there’s little, subtle things I’m not going to get into, but he definitely cares about people and you can tell in the way he speaks to people, so really fortunate that he’s here.”

Rodgers aiming to lead a young Jets core into contention

Even after a down year in 2022, Rodgers brings a lot to the table for the Jets. He has a career 147-75-1 regular season record, all with the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers has thrown for over 59,000 yards with 475 touchdowns in his longstanding stint in the NFL.

The Packers as a whole struggled last season, which played a factor into Rodgers not lighting it up on the stat sheet. He threw for 3,695 yards and 26 touchdowns with 12 interceptions in 17 games.

After cycling through quarterbacks in recent years, most recently Zach Wilson and Mike White last season, Rodgers is an unquestioned upgrade. And the talent the Jets will surround Rodgers with might be the best he’s seen in a while, too.

Wide receiver Garrett Wilson had 83 catches for 1,103 yards and four touchdowns last year as a rookie, and he could be poised for even greater production with Rodgers throwing the ball to him. New York also added Mecole Hardman and Allen Lazard to the offense.

At running back, the Jets have wildly impressive young talent. The room will be led by Breece Hall, who tore it up as a rookie before suffering a season-ending injury. The Jets also have Zonovan Knight, Michael Carter and 2023 NFL Draft pick Israel Abanikanda in the running back room.

Last year, the Jets went 7-10 and finished in the basement of the AFC East. With Rodgers at the helm, they are expected to take a serious step forward in 2023. While how far they are able to go remains to be seen, Rodgers has brought excitement to New York inside and outside of the organization. And it’s easy to see why.