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Rogers effect shows in Jets schedule

May 14, 2023

Was it simply pure luck that the Jets were chosen to open Monday Night Football against the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium? Not even close.

It was no accident that they were picked to play the NFL’s first-ever Black Friday game against the Miami Dolphins.

It's no coincidence that the Jets showed up twice on both Sunday and Monday Night Football.

It certainly could not make a fan do a double take to see the Jets playing the Bills, Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots, Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos and NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles to commence the season.

That’s what we call the Aaron Rodgers effect. With Rodgers being the Jets quarterback, the team will be receiving national exposure often. Everyone locally and nationally will be eager to see he fares as their quarterback.

The Jets will be a conversation starter all season long for good or for bad. Everyone is going to have an opinion on them and Rodgers.

This is a team that could have made the playoffs last year if they had a competent quarterback under center. Zach Wilson was terrible in his sophomore season, and as well as Mike White played, he was injury-prone. This explains why the Jets acquired Rodgers and why he wanted to play for them.

There has already been a buzz about them. The fans are excited about the season that will start four months from now. It won’t be long until training camp begins, so we will be hearing a lot about the new quarterback in town.

This is refreshing. For the last 12 seasons, there has been no reason to watch the Jets. They just weren’t interesting. They weren’t winning. They didn’t have players to build around for a long time. The coaches offered no inspiration.

This will change this year. I always thought if the Jets could put on a great product that won, MetLife Stadium would offer an advantage to a home team, feeding off the energy from the crowd. Jets fans are as passionate as Philadelphia Eagles fans. They have been waiting for a team that they can be proud of.

The Jets expect to win with Rodgers — he gives them a chance. It's why this schedule exists, and the reason not to fear the teams they're facing. Maybe they're not good enough to conquer the Kansas City Chiefs (considering Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback in the NFL) or the Philadelphia Eagles (as Jalen Hurts establishes himself as the best quarterback in the NFC) but they have a shot to succeed against others. Even then, the Jets are good enough to give the Chiefs and Eagles a game.

The last time this team received national recognition was when Rex Ryan was coaching—but it was for all the the wrong reasons. They basically became a punchline. After all, under his watch, the world witnessed the “Buttfumble." Sure, they went on to two AFC Championship Games, but that was when Eric Mangini’s players wanted to prove their ability to win without him. Once his players left, the Jets wore out under Ryan.

Nowadays, they're attracting national attention for the right reasons. With Rogers at the helm this year, the team promises to impress.

It will be interesting to see just how much the Jets quarterback's got left in his game. Will he still be able to elevate the Jets? It's sure to serve up a scintillating NFL storyline. That’s one explanation for the national exposure the Jets are enjoying in 2023.

Rodgers’ tenure will only be a success if he ends the “Same Old Jets” narrative.

With due respect to Ahmad Gardner, Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall, everyone will pay attention to the Jets because of Rodgers. The quarterback gets all the attention, as he impacts games with his play. The Jets have been waiting for a quarterback to elevate them and win a championship since Joe Namath. Rodgers gets to be that guy, and that’s why his presence and the storyline led to plenty of nationally televised games.

Maybe he can give the Jets more exposure in January when he gets the opportunity to get another Super Bowl championship, along with ending his employer’s Super Bowl championship drought, and that could define his career.

All eyes will be on him and the Jets. The schedule speaks for itself.

You can read Leslie's Jersey Sporting News columns on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays.