Jets Should Call Tom Brady After Aaron Rodgers Injury, Ex-GM Says

Robert Saleh said the Jets will move forward with Zach Wilson as their quarterback after Aaron Rodgers suffered what the team believed was a season-ending Achilles injury Monday night.

But New York surely will look to upgrade at that important position as it looks to keep its Super Bowl aspirations alive.

Former Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum, now an analyst for ESPN, suggested three next steps for the franchise as it grapples with the loss of its superstar signal-caller, including an especially explosive one.

Tannenbaum wrote on the X platform that New York should explore a trade for Matthew Stafford or Jameis Winston, place calls to veteran free agents Matt Ryan and Colt McCoy, and (drum roll) try to lure Tom Brady out of retirement.

Here’s what I would do now:

- Look into a trade for Matt Stafford or Jameis Winston
- Try to have Matt Ryan and Colt McCoy in the building for a physical
- Call Tom Brady’s agent (very unlikely)

Jets are on a plane in 5 days to play Dallas, I would have a new QB on that trip.

— Mike Tannenbaum (@RealTannenbaum) September 12, 2023

Tannenbaum acknowledged Option 3 is "very unlikely." Brady hung up his cleats this past February -- for real this time, he insists -- and said hours before Rodgers' injury that he was "super content" with his post-playing life.

“I think the advice I gave different guys is if they’re looking in their career -- and I told this to a friend last night -- 'just make sure you leave it all out there,' " Brady said on his "Let's Go!" podcast, as transcribed by the Boston Herald's Doug Kyed.

"Because you just never want to have one drop left and think, ‘Ah, everyone’s out there playing, and I’m sitting up here, and I still feel like I could do it.’ I don’t feel like that. I feel like I’m just super content with my decision and where I’m at in life.”

The New England Patriots just welcomed Brady back to Gillette Stadium in a lavish ceremony this past Sunday, during which the QB called himself a "Patriot for life." Robert Kraft surely would not have staged such an event if he had any inkling that Brady could play again -- never mind for one of New England's oldest and most hated rivals.

Brady also is a part-owner of an NFL franchise (the Las Vegas Raiders), which surely would complicate any efforts to suit up for a different team.

Other QB options the Jets could pursue if Rodgers is, in fact, done for the season include Carson Wentz, Nick Foles, Trevor Siemian and Joe Flacco, a former Jets backup.

Wilson, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, guided New York to a stunning overtime win over Buffalo on Monday night but is 8-14 as a starter in his career and performed so poorly last season that he was demoted to third string.

New York will visit the Dallas Cowboys this Sunday before hosting the Patriots in Week 3. Wilson is 0-4 against New England with two touchdowns and seven interceptions.