The Rise of the New York Packers |

Adrian Amos signed with the New York Jets yesterday morning and now seems to be an acceptable time to start taking note of the egregious number of former Packers acquired by the Jets front office during the last six months. The best way to make our way through this list is probably to pair analysis of each acquisition with an overall “grade.” These grades will be based on contract, team fit, and quality of the acquired player. Hopefully this can give Packer fans some perspective when considering all of the moves that Aaron Rodgers is supposedly spearheading as an important figure in the Jets front office.

Nathaniel Hackett – OC

Despite a rough outing as the head coach of the Denver Broncos, Nathaniel Hackett is a very capable offensive coordinator. Hackett brings along a familiar scheme to the one ran by previous offensive coordinator Mike Lafleur, and his style and play calling will be even more familiar to New York’s new QB. This is a very solid acquisition for the Jets, and can be looked at as at least a small upgrade from their previous offensive coordinator.

Grade: A

Aaron Rodgers – QB

A hall of fame quarterback in the twilight of his career is still a hall of fame quarterback. While Aaron Rodgers may not have the athletic ability to return to any of his MVP forms, he is probably still going to look like a top 5 quarterback in the league in 2023. While being paired up with a familiar cast of players and coaches, Rodgers should fit right into his role. He’s probably worth every draft pick, and most of the money that the Jets used to secure him to their roster.

If Tom Brady can bring a few players with him to Tampa Bay to win a Super Bowl, there’s not a doubt in my mind that Aaron Rodgers could potentially do the same thing in New York.

Grade: A-

Allen Lazard – WR

Adding a capable veteran as a second option at wide receiver is always a solid idea, and it especially is in the case that the veteran receiver was also previously a favorite target of QB Aaron Rodgers. Allen Lazard’s four year deal with the Jets will likely outlive Rodgers’ tenure with the Jets, and who knows what Lazard may look like in his late 20’s without Aaron Rodgers at QB. The length and money associated with Lazard’s contract is the only minor hiccup that is keeping his grade down a bit here.

Grade: B

Tim Boyle – QB

There’s not much to say about either of the next two players on this list, but we’ll start with Tim Boyle. It doesn’t make much sense for the Jets to have added another QB into the mix except for consistently giving Aaron Rodgers a familiar face to bounce ideas off of in the meeting room when Hackett isn’t around. As far as his ability to come in and play in the case of an injury to Rodgers, Boyle certainly offers you less than Zach Wilson does overall. He’ll likely be nothing more than a clipboard carrier and friend to the starting QB, as well as an unnecessary million dollars being counted towards the salary cap.

Grade: C–

Malik Taylor – WR

Malik Taylor is another cheap and innocuous addition for the Jets, similar to Tim Boyle; and he, like Boyle, would have be considered an okay depth pickup if not for the state of the position group he belongs to. The Jets have plenty of wide receivers, so Malik Taylor will only ever serve as a special teamer, which is a job he does well enough. With an essentially non-existent contract, this move doesn’t get dinged for value, but since he probably doesn’t move the needle at all for the Jets, the move deserves no real praise either.

Grade: C

Randall Cobb – WR

Here’s where we see a direct example of Aaron Rodgers’ mere presence changing the dynamic of an offensive unit. There’s a chance that Randall Cobb will sometimes be coming onto the field over players like Corey Davis and Mecole Hardman despite them both being superior receivers at this point in time. If this move was made just to keep Rodgers happy (like it was in Green Bay) then it earns some points for that.

With all of that being said, any other team signing a 33-year-old Randall Cobb to a nearly three million dollar contract with any intention of playing him over guys who are younger and better would earn an F grade.

Grade: D+

Billy Turner – OL

A relatively low-paid backup offensive lineman with some familiarity to the quarterback and offensive coordinator is a safe and inoffensive move. Billy Turner isn’t coming in and needing to start, as he’ll probably slide in as a backup tackle behind Mekhi Becton and Duane Brown, so this move ultimately doesn’t shake things up too much. If Billy Turner is called on to start for whatever reason, he will probably be close to serviceable, even at the age of 31.

Grade: C+… or B-… or in some liminal space between the two.

Adrian Amos – S

This may be only the second or third instance of the Jets actually targeting a true position of need on this entire list. As much as Packer fans said that Adrian Amos was beginning to fall from grace in 2022, he is ultimately still a very capable safety. The Jets already added safety Chuck Clark to a group with Jordan Whitehead, and now they have a very solid rotation of three capable safeties on the roster. In a secondary with almost as much talent as Green Bay’s (and arguably a better defensive scheme) Adrian Amos will have essentially every chance to earn a sizeable role, rebound, and look like the player we all thought he should have looked like during the 2022 season.

A four million dollar contract is the only thing that’s keeping this move from being practically perfect, but the money doesn’t feel that high for a player like Amos right now anyway.