Things did not go according to plan for New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers this past season.
The Jets acquired Rodgers in a blockbuster trade with the Green Bay Packers last year and were immediately labeled as Super Bowl contenders because of it.
However, Rodgers ended up tearing his Achilles on New York’s first offensive series of the regular season, effectively destroying Gang Green’s championship aspirations.
But now, Rodgers seems healthy and is ready to get back to action in Week 1, and Fox Sports analyst Craig Carton thinks that he is the top candidate to win Comeback Player of the Year in 2024.
It’s hard to argue with Carton’s assessment.
We know how good Rodgers is when he is healthy. He has four MVP awards to his name and even won the award in back-to-back seasons as recently as 2020 and 2021.
Of course, Rodgers was showing some signs of a decline during his final season with the Packers in 2022, but he was also appearing to slow down back in 2019 right before putting together two of the best years of his career.
Basically, one would be remiss to doubt Rodgers, especially given all of the talent he is now surrounded with in New York.
The Jets went out and signed wide receiver Mike Williams to put alongside of Garrett Wilson last month, and they also added some significant pieces—such as tackle Tyron Smith—to what had been a miserable offensive line. We also already know how good New York is defensively, and it improved its defense even further by swinging a trade for top edge rusher Haason Reddick.
Plus, the Jets still have the NFL Draft to add more talent.
Obviously, Rodgers is coming off of a severe injury, and at 40 years old, anything can happen. But when it comes to identifying the best candidates for Comeback Player of the Year, Aaron Rodgers has to be at or near the top of the list.
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