Rex Ryan has heaped the pressure on Aaron Rodgers and his New York Jets teammates as the quarterback gears up for his maiden campaign at the MetLife Stadium.
Rodgers became one of the major trades of the off-season after opting to leave the Green Bay Packers after 17 years with the franchise. The 38-year-old made the move to the Jets, rejuvenating hope within they New York setup that the 2023/24 season could be the one their 55-year wait for a Super Bowl title comes to an end.
And the latest to back Rodgers and co for big things is the franchise’s former coach Ryan, who believes the quarterback is part of the ‘most talented roster’ in Jets’ history. And the ex-head coach is so confident, he has backed his former team to get their hands on the Super Bowl title come next February. Speaking on ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown, Ryan said: “This is the most talented roster the Jets have ever had, ever had.”
It has been no secret that the Jets have struggled for form in recent years, but Ryan senses this is about to change following the addition of the 2010 Super Bowl MVP ahead of the upcoming campaign. “The thing I love about Aaron Rodgers is we are getting a crazy Aaron Rodgers, like, ‘Oh yeah, I am going to show you how great I am’,” he added.
Ryan even went on to compare Rodgers’ mentality to that of boxing great Muhammad Ali. “I remember when Muhammad Ali said that, and I am seeing the same thing out of Aaron Rodgers. He played in a pre-season game, why? Because he was terrible in the last two openers,” he said. “He isn’t going to be terrible in this game. I believe the hype is real.”
The Jets will kick off their quest for the Super Bowl title on Monday, when they take on the Buffalo Bills at the MetLife Stadium. Heading into the campaign, Rodgers has already set out his team’s targets. Holding the Vince Lombardi Trophy will of course be at the top of the list, but the quarterback has labelled reaching the playoffs as his first goal.
He told the New York Post : “That’s always been first goal is to win the division, that gives you an automatic berth into the playoffs and a home game. So that’s kind of the first goal that’s on the list. We got a tough division though, we have to see where we’re at these first three weeks, we have two division games. But that’s always the first goal.