Stephen A. Smith asserts Jets’ failure has Aaron Rodgers’ name written all over it

Stephen A. Smith blamed the Jets’ failure entirely on veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers after the team suffered its fifth consecutive loss.

Stephen A. Smith asserts Jets’ failure has Aaron Rodgers’ name written all over it

Aaron Rodgers and Stephen A. Smith (Via Imago)

Looks like Aaron Rodgers is not the driving force to carry the entire team as the New York Jets thought he was while acquiring him last season. The 2024 season appears to be crashing down for them after suffering a fifth consecutive loss which sunk them at the bottom of the AFC East at 2-6. 

Facing the New England Patriots led by rookie Drake Maye in Week 8, the Green Gang was somewhat confident of breaking their losing streak. However, it ended up becoming their ugliest loss at 25-22. Unlike Rodgers’ run with the Green Bay Packers, the four-time NFL MVP is heavily involved in all decisions related to the team. 

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Whether be it head coach Robert Saleh’s firing or the addition of Davante Adams, the Jets have literally followed the path that Rodgers laid down. Whereas in Green Bay, the franchise didn’t even acknowledge the quarterback’s input on any decisions. Given the polar opposite behavior towards the quarterback, it’s clear which approach has proven effective and yielded results.  

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Stephen A. Smith predicts diminished legacy for Aaron Rodgers amid Jets’ Struggles

While discussing New York’s embarrassing loss in Week 8 during the recent episode of ESPN’s First Take, sports analyst Stephen A. Smith blamed the team’s failure entirely on the veteran quarterback. He highlighted this stark contrast approaches of both the teams with the ten-time Pro Bowler, predicting Rodgers will “fade into the twilight” post-retirement if he continues playing like this. 

Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers (Image via IMAGO)

They look unenthused, they lack focus, there’s clear some issues with their coaching…there’s no way around this. When you talk about legacy in that regard, Aaron Rodgers is one of those dudes, that when he retires, based on what we’re seeing right now in New York, he’s going to fade into the twilight and nobody’s going to think about him at all because of what we’re seeing right now.

Stephen A. Smith asserted

Remembering how the Super Bowl champion was counted among the elites in the league, to the level of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. But there has been a “colossal of a drop-off” of his NFL legacy since his trade to the Jets, who handled over the entire locker room to Rodgers. 

This is an epic, epic failure, and it’s got his [Aaron Rodgers’] name and his face written all over it. 

Stephen A. Smith added
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Losing at the hands of New England was something that shocked the entire Green Gang to the core, realizing how difficult the NFL can be. They are up against a solid team of the Houston Texans in Week 8, which makes the match more intimidating, especially given how desperately the Jets need a victory.