Aaron Rodgers Brings 'New Youthfulness' to Jets Locker Room, Says Solomon Thomas

The early returns from his new teammates indicate Aaron Rodgers is making a very strong impression on the New York Jets.

Defensive tackle Solomon Thomas told reporters the four-time NFL MVP has brought "a whole new youthfulness" to the team and in the locker room.

"The room is buzzing right now—the building is buzzing—and it's buzzing for a reason," he added. "You bring in a solidified Hall of Famer like Aaron Rodgers and it's going to change some things. His leadership, his knowledge, the way he plays the game—you know he's going to put up points and you know he's going to play smart football."

After a long period of uncertainty and speculation, the Jets were finally able to land Rodgers in a trade with the Green Bay Packers on April 26.

The Jets are hoping the 39-year-old provides some stability to a position that has been extremely volatile for this team for years. Joe Namath is the only quarterback in franchise history to throw for at least 4,000 yards in a season.

They haven't had a single player throw at least 10 touchdown passes in a season since 2019 (Sam Darnold: 19).

Even coming off arguably the worst season of his career, Rodgers' stats from last season would have made him the best Jets quarterback since Ryan Fitzpatrick in 2015. The veteran threw for 3,695 yards, 26 touchdowns and completed 64.6 percent of his attempts.

The Jets managed to win seven games in 2022 thanks in large part to a defense that ranked fourth in the NFL in points allowed per game (18.6) and yards allowed per game (311.6).

Rodgers doesn't have to return to his MVP form from 2020 and 2021 for the team to be successful because of how talented this defense is. If he's merely adequate, it would be a huge win for the Jets as they look to end their 12-year playoff drought.