Jets Top 25 countdown: Where does Aaron Rodgers rank next to their returning superstars?

The top five Jets players in our countdown include a quarterback who was not here last year and two players coming off outstanding rookie seasons.

All but one of these players was acquired by general manager Joe Douglas, which speaks to his roster building over the past few years. The top five all have the potential to be All-Pro players and award winners this season.

Just a reminder: We do not put rookies in the list because no one has any idea how a rookie will play in the NFL.

Before we get to this year’s top 5, here is a look back at the No. 1 player in each year we’ve done the countdown:

2012 – Darrelle Revis
2013 – Antonio Cromartie
2014 – Muhammad Wilkerson
2015 – Darrelle Revis
2016 – Brandon Marshall
2017 – Leonard Williams
2018 – Leonard Williams
2019 – Le’Veon Bell
2020 – Jamal Adams
2021 – Quinnen Williams
2022 – Quinnen Williams

Here is the final installment of our top 25, counting down players from 5 to 1:

No. 5: Alijah Vera-Tucker

Last year’s ranking: 13
Position: Right guard
Age on Opening Day: 24
How acquired: Selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft
Years left on contract: 2 (plus a team option)
2023 salary cap figure: $4.3 million

Looking back at 2022: Vera-Tucker had a short season, but showed what he was capable of in that time. Vera-Tucker played just seven games until he suffered a torn triceps against the Broncos. That injury, along with the one Breece Hall suffered in the same game, really set the Jets offense back.

The most impressive aspect of Vera-Tucker’s 2022 season was the versatility he displayed. He moved from left guard, where played as a rookie, to right guard to start the year. When injuries began to mount, he moved to left tackle, where he started in Week 4 against the Steelers. When Duane Brown returned to play left tackle in Week 5, Vera-Tucker moved to right tackle. He started three games there before his injury.

Vera-Tucker played well at all three positions, something that is not easy to do. Pro Football Focus ranked him 16th out of 77 guards they graded. He was sixth against the run. Vera-Tucker allowed one sack and 12 hurries. He only had one penalty.

Outlook for 2023: There were some questions about whether the Jets should keep Vera-Tucker at tackle, but Jets coach Robert Saleh has made it clear that the team thinks Vera-Tucker can be an All-Pro right guard. So, he will be back to where he started last year.

Vera-Tucker seems to have recovered fully from his triceps injury. He was a participant in the spring practices. The Jets may hold him back a little in training camp out of caution, but there should not be any concern about Vera-Tucker being ready for the season.

The expectations will be high for Vera-Tucker entering his third year. It felt as if he was on the verge of being an All-Pro last year. That will be what everyone anticipates entering the 2023 season. He will have to shake off the rust — and that may take a little while — but Vera-Tucker should be the Jets’ best offensive lineman this season and a key piece of the offense.

No. 4: Garrett Wilson

Last year’s ranking: Unranked (rookie)
Position: Wide receiver
Age on Opening Day: 23
How acquired: Selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft
Years left on contract: 3 (plus a team option)
2023 salary cap figure: $4.7 million

Looking back at 2022: Things could not have gone much better for Wilson as a rookie. He thrived despite the team having shaky quarterback play, and ended up as the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Wilson played in 17 games. He had 83 receptions for 1,103 yards and four touchdowns. He averaged 13.3 yards per reception, 64.9 receiving yards per game and accounted for 56 first downs. Wilson had just two drops.

Wilson was dynamic with the ball in his hands, and showed amazing body control when the ball was in the air. PFF ranked him 12th out of 113 wide receivers graded. He was ninth in receiving.

There were so many highlights for Wilson and great games, but the one that stands out to me was his Week 18 performance in Miami. The Jets were toast. Their playoff hopes were gone. Joe Flacco was playing quarterback. The Jets had nothing going on offensively except Wilson, and the Dolphins knew he was the player they had to stop. Still, he looked unstoppable. Wilson had nine catches for 89 yards in the game, nothing that people will remember in 10 years. But if you watched the game, you knew who the best player on the field was.

Outlook for 2023: The benefits of the Jets adding Aaron Rodgers have been talked about plenty, but there is no one who stands to benefit from Rodgers’ presence more than Wilson.

Wilson showed what he was capable of in his rookie season with subpar quarterback play. Think of what he can do with Rodgers. Wilson caught four touchdowns last season — two from Mike White, two from Flacco. He had zero touchdown catches from Zach Wilson. The two never seemed to click.

There are no guarantees, but I think Rodgers will be able to throw at least one touchdown pass to Garrett Wilson.

Wilson should be a monster in his second year with a year of experience and a year of NFL weight training to prepare him for this season. He could become one of the top receivers in the league with Rodgers as his quarterback. The one thing to watch is how he responds to being the player defenses try to take away. You can bet that every opposing defensive coordinator is going to have a plan to stop Wilson. Can he overcome that?

No. 3: Aaron Rodgers

Last year’s ranking: Unranked (not on team)
Position: Quarterback
Age on Opening Day: 39
How acquired: Traded by the Packers along with a 2023 first-round pick and a 2023 fifth-round pick in exchange for the Jets’ 2023 first-round pick, a 2023 second-round pick, a 2023 sixth-round pick and a conditional 2024 second-round pick that becomes a first if Rodgers plays 65 percent of the snaps in the 2023 season.
Years left on contract: 2
2023 salary cap figure: $1.2 million

Looking back at 2022: Rodgers had a down year in his final season with the Packers. A down year for him is still pretty good, but he was not close to the player he was the two years prior when he won back-to-back MVP awards.

There are explanations for the way Rodgers’ season went. The Packers traded away top target Davante Adams before the season, leaving Rodgers without his favorite target. The team went with youth at the receiver position, adding more challenges for Rodgers. He broke his right thumb throwing a Hail Mary in Week 5 against the Giants. The injury clearly affected him in the following weeks.

Rodgers still ended up putting up respectable numbers. He completed 350-for-542 passing for 3,695 yards, 26 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. His passer rating (91.1) and QBR (39.3) were career lows for him as a starting quarterback. PFF ranked him 14th out of 39 quarterbacks graded.

Outlook for 2023: The Jets expect Rodgers to carry them to the playoffs and possibly the Super Bowl.

No pressure, Aaron.

The trade for Rodgers was an all-in move for Douglas and Saleh. If it doesn’t work, they almost certainly will be fired after this season. That is what is facing Rodgers. Everyone expects him to be the team’s savior. Is he up to it?

Rodgers passed every test this spring. There were questions about whether he would be committed to spring workouts, but he was there for all of the OTAs. In every interview he gave, he said all the right things about wanting to be with the Jets.

Rodgers is reunited with offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, who was the OC in Green Bay when Rodgers won the MVP in 2020 and 2021. Hackett was not the play-caller on those teams, but his familiarity with Rodgers should be a major plus.

Don’t be fooled by that low cap number for Rodgers. The Jets and Rodgers have to rework his contract. At the moment, the cap figure for 2024 is $107.6 million. The two sides should have a deal in place before the regular season arrives.

We will know more about Rodgers’ commitment beyond 2023 once we see the reworked contract. For now, though, 2024 can wait. This is all about 2023 and whether Rodgers can recapture the form he showed two years ago and be the Jets’ missing piece.

Want to catch a game? The Jets schedule with links to buy tickets can be found here.

No. 2: Sauce Gardner

Last year’s ranking: Unranked (roookie)
Position: Cornerback
Age on Opening Day: 23
How acquired: Selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Years left on contract: 3 (plus a team option)
2023 salary cap figure: $7.6 million

Looking back at 2022: There are not enough superlatives to apply to Gardner’s rookie season with the Jets. He looks like he could be a star for this team for the next decade-plus. The Jets have gotten many draft picks wrong through the years. It has been a long time since they got one this right.

Gardner played in all 17 games. He had 75 tackles, a league-high 20 passes defensed, two interceptions and one quarterback hit. That quarterback hit was a memorable one: He blitzed Dolphins quarterback Teddy Bridgewater at the start of their game in October and knocked him out of the game.

PFF ranked Gardner No. 1 out of 118 cornerbacks graded. He was also No. 1 in their coverage grade. Per PFF, he allowed 34 catches on 74 targets (45.9 percent) and one touchdown. That touchdown came in Cleveland and was a blown assignment, not a case of a receiver beating him. Quarterbacks had a passer rating of 53.9 when throwing Gardner’s way.

Gardner was named Defensive Rookie of the Year, made the Pro Bowl and was named first-team All-Pro.

Outlook for 2023: There will be plenty of pressure on Gardner this season to duplicate or exceed his rookie year. It will be interesting to see how teams approach Gardner this season. Do teams try to stay away from him as they used to do with Darrelle Revis?

The coaches have talked about the next step for Gardner being more interceptions. To do that, though, quarterbacks are going to have to test him.

Gardner’s rookie season has him on the verge of being a superstar. A strong second season will put him in that category. The Jets defense should have a cornerstone for years to come.

No. 1: Quinnen Williams

Last year’s ranking: 1
Position: Defensive tackle
Age on Opening Day: 25
How acquired: Selected in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft
Years left on contract: 1
2023 salary cap figure: $9.6 million

Looking back at 2022: Williams had a monster season, and stays atop our list as the best player on the Jets. It was close between Williams and Gardner, but Williams has a stronger track record and is dominant right now.

Williams played in 16 games last season. He had 55 tackles, 12 for a loss, 12 sacks, 28 quarterback hits, one fumble recovery and two forced fumbles.

There were many games in which Williams was the best player on the field. His performance against the Packers stands out. He was everywhere and wrecked plays repeatedly.

PFF ranked Williams fourth out of 127 interior defenders graded. He was ninth against the run and fifth in pass rush. Williams had 32 stops, a PFF stat that counts tackles that constitute a failure for the offense.

Outlook for 2023: The biggest question surrounding Williams remains his contract. The Jets and Williams’ agent have been working on a contract extension this offseason, but nothing is done yet. There remains optimism that two sides will get a long-term deal done. Williams has certainly earned one.

If the contract is not agreed upon before training camp, it will be interesting to see how Williams handles things. Does he stay away from camp? Does he show up with a mysterious injury so he can’t practice? The Jets need to get a deal done to avoid ugliness with their best player.

This organization has a terrible history with alienating its best players. Jamal Adams and Revis are recent examples. Williams has done everything right as a Jet. They need to reward him.

On the field, it should be another strong season for Williams. Year 3 in Saleh’s defense should be great for Williams, who really came into his own last season. Williams showed he can be a disruptive force in the middle of the defense. With Aaron Donald getting older, Williams is now in the conversation for the best interior defensive lineman in football.