Solomon Thomas: Jets Players Compare Aaron Rodgers to Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan

In case it wasn't evident from the first episode of Hard Knocks, the New York Jets locker room is really enthusiastic about playing with Aaron Rodgers.

Defensive tackle Solomon Thomas likened Rodgers to Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan for his attention to detail and leadership.

"In the locker room, we talk about it: It's like watching Kobe [Bryant] or Michael Jordan work in football," Thomas told Rich Cimini of ESPN. "The details he puts in, how he commands the offense, it's insane watching him play."

Of course, it's easy to see why Jets players have become enamored with their quarterback.

Rodgers is a surefire first-ballot Hall of Famer, one of only two players in NFL history to win at least four MVPs (Peyton Manning has five). He has been selected to 10 Pro Bowl teams, led the NFL in passer rating on four occasions and 147-75-1 record as a starter, one of the highest win percentages in league history for a quarterback.

Rodgers is also such a seismic upgrade from the team's previous quarterback play that it's hard to not come away floored.

The Jets have not had a Pro Bowl quarterback since Brett Favre in 2008. And, if we're being honest, that was more of a legacy selection than a reflection of Favre's play. You would have to go back to the early Chad Pennington era to find a time when the Jets had a quarterback who actually performed like a franchise-caliber starter.

The Jets franchise has just one—oneˆ—All-Pro selection at quarterback in franchise history, with Joe Namath making the 1968 team.

That said, Rodgers is a generational superstar making a late-career franchise change after being a legend in another city. The Jets will have their fingers crossed their "Michael Jordan" won't be playing out his Wizards years.