(Photo by David Hahn/Icon Sportswire)
Before superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers chose not to retire and not to return to the Green Bay Packers, the New York Jets were looking to address their biggest need on the football field, as the team wanted to bring in a proven veteran to lead their team.
This led to a ton of rumors swirling around the league about potential targets for the Jets once the NFL offseason got underway, and there was no shortage of options, even if they weren’t considered to be total game-changers.
One option was Derek Carr, formerly of the Las Vegas Raiders, as he was released by the team and still thought to be a viable option to be a starting quarterback in the NFL.
However, it didn’t take him long to land with the New Orleans Saints, as Dennis Allen and company were anxious to bring him in and didn’t want to take any chances of losing him to another team.
Another option the Jets explored this summer was trading for Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network via JPA Football.
𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗦: The #Jets called the #Rams about QB Matthew Stafford before they traded for Aaron Rodgers, per @RapSheet
This was before Aaron Rodgers’ darkness retreat and when he said there was a 90 percent chance he would retire — so the Jets weren’t sure they could even get… pic.twitter.com/JX3zYuTZUe
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) September 10, 2023
This is an interesting development as this was kept under wraps, even though there was some talk about Stafford’s future and whether it would be with the Rams or if he’d consider retirement.
The Jets going after Stafford wasn’t a bad move, as it worked out for the Rams, as all they were missing was a viable option under center, and they won it all a couple of years ago.
However, the Jets lucked out by getting Rodgers, who is much more talented and seemingly motivated to end his career on a strong note, even if that end is a few years down the line.
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