The Jets might tap into the free-agent quarterback market if they can't land Aaron Rodgers. A signal-caller like Jimmy Garoppolo would make sense for New York, especially given his history with Robert Saleh.
But what if Gang Green stayed in trade mode?
It "won't be long" until Rodgers decides what he wants to do moving forward, per the star quarterback himself. It appears to be Green Bay, New York or retirement for Rodgers, and as of Thursday, the Jets reportedly were optimistic about their chances to acquire the four-time NFL MVP. But if Rodgers ends up not relocating to the Meadowlands, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler believes New York should look into a different trade.
"If the Jets miss out on Rodgers, why not place that call to Minnesota with the chance to give (Kirk) Cousins a new deal? Cousins and Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell appear closely aligned, but it wouldn't hurt to check. As of now, he's not under contract beyond 2023," Fowler wrote in a column published Sunday.
In the same column, Fowler reported the Vikings are "open for business" as the start of the new NFL year nears. Minnesota already cut ties with longtime receiver Adam Thielen and the organization reportedly has had trade talks involving star running back Dalvin Cook. Those two probably are more disposable than Cousins, but every player has a price.
And if Rodgers passes on the Jets, they might be desperate enough to pay whatever that price is.
