Is an angry Aaron Rodgers good for the New York Jets?

Could the New York Jets be getting a “pissed-off” Aaron Rodgers next season?

Former Jets head coach Eric Mangini recently expressed to ESPN that the Jets are getting a “pissed-off” Aaron Rodgers and that’s “exactly” what they should want. He cited how Rodgers won the NFL MVP after the Green Bay Packers drafted quarterback Jordan Love and then won the award again when he had a contract dispute with the franchise.

On Thursday’s edition of “First Things First,” co-host Chris Broussard argued that the Jets should indeed want Rodgers to play with something to prove.

“I do think the best Aaron Rodgers is the one with the chip on his shoulder, who’s upset; he’s clearly that,” Broussard said. “I got one question, though, was last year about age? Because [what] Mangini’s talking about when he [Rodgers] resurrected his career, he was only 35. Now he’s 39 [and will] be 40 in December, so was it age or was it the broken thumb that he, to his credit, didn’t use as an excuse? I’m now leaning toward the thumb. 

“I’m not saying he’s gonna win MVP, but I do think he gets closer to that and has a bounce-back year.”

Former NFL wide receiver James Jones, who was teammates with Rodgers from 2007-13 and 2015, feels that although Rodgers struggled last season, he’ll thrive with the Jets.

“When you watch certain games, you still see that Aaron Rodgers of old, the MVP Aaron, some of the throws that he was making,” Jones said. “You see the throw he made to Marcedes Lewis down the sideline in Miami. The throws are still there. Aaron, I wouldn’t say is angry like Coach [Mangini] is saying right now. I’ve been around an angry Aaron Rodgers that has a chip on his shoulder that wants to go out there and prove something, and I’ve been around a happy Aaron Rodgers that’s out there having fun, and they both dangerous and they both scary. 

‘You can expect Aaron Rodgers taking the Jets deep into the playoffs.”

Rodgers, 39, totaled 3,695 passing yards, 26 passing touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a 91.1 passer rating, completing 64.6% of his passes last season. He suffered a broken thumb in Green Bay’s Week 5 loss to the New York Giants but played through the injury.

Across his 15 seasons under center for the Packers, Rodgers accrued one Super Bowl MVP, four NFL MVPs and 10 Pro Bowl nods.

The Jets acquired the future Hall of Fame quarterback from the Packers for the No. 13, 42 and 207 picks in the 2023 NFL Draft and a conditional 2024 second-round draft pick that becomes a first-rounder if Rodgers plays 65% of the team’s snaps. Green Bay sent the No. 15 and 170 picks in the 2023 draft to New York as part of the trade.

The Jets lost their last six games in 2022 to finish 7-10. They started four quarterbacks (Zach Wilson, Joe Flacco, Mike White and Chris Streveler), while their defense surrendered just 311.1 total yards and 18.6 points per game, both good for fourth in the NFL.

FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience

National Football League

New York Jets

Aaron Rodgers