Aaron Rodgers' watch list for 2024 includes several Packers players

The 2023 version of the New York Jets has several former Green Bay Packers players alongside Aaron Rodgers. Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, and Billy Turner, for example — Adrian Amos was also signed and cut.

And the 2024 team could have even more former Packers.

According to Rich Cimini, from ESPN, Rodgers' watch list for 2024 includes a variety of former Rodgers teammates in Green Bay. Two of them are obvious ones: wide receiver Davante Adams and offensive tackle David Bakhtiari, both close friends of Rodgers.

Adams was traded from the Packers to the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021, but his situation in Las Vegas generated buzz before the trade deadline this year. Bakhtiari's circumstances are complicated, since he has a big cap hit (even if released), and his injury situation creates layers to his contract.

Another option not on the Packers roster anymore is tight end Robert Tonyan, who's playing under a one-year contract with the Chicago Bears.

^{"To get his opinion on all that stuff is always warranted, and we're always going to include him," Jets coach Robert Saleh said of Rodgers. "But even last year, you still have to be judicious and make sure you're crossing T's and dotting I's. It's not uncommon to call a player who has been with other players to ask, 'Hey, how was this dude as a teammate? How was he on the field? How was he around the building?' [It's] to gather information. That's not uncommon, and we'll continue to use that resource, not only with him, but with everyone on the roster."}

The results haven't been great, as Lazard and Cobb have had unproductive seasons for New York. Amos has been cut, and Turner is a borderline starting-level tackle at this point. But the Jets' expectation is that everything will fall into place with Rodgers on the field.

Current Packers

The Rodgers watch list, according to Cimini, also has several players currently on the Packers roster. Some are slated to be free agents, like running back AJ Dillon and offensive guard Jon Runyan.

Another one is Aaron Jones, who is under contract with the Packers through 2024 but has a hefty cap hit and is mentioned by Cimini as a potential cut candidate.

"(The Jets) are leaning on Rodgers, the way the Tampa Bay Buccaneers leaned on Tom Brady in 2020. Brady recruited key players such as tight end Rob Gronkowski, who helped them to a Super Bowl. The Jets hope Rodgers, in Year 2, can do the same."

Coaching staff

The New York Jets also plan to keep the current coaching staff, according to ESPN. That means former Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett will be kept as the Jets playcaller in 2024.