Jets' Sauce Gardner: Aaron Rodgers 'Might Be #1 in All QB Stats' if He Joins Vikings

It is clear Sauce Gardner still believes in Aaron Rodgers' ability to put up big numbers even if the New York Jets are moving on from the 41-year-old quarterback this offseason.

Gardner took to social media Sunday and responded to a rumor suggesting the Minnesota Vikings may be interested in Rodgers by saying the future Hall of Famer could set the bar in all quarterback stats if he joins the NFC North team:

There would be a level of irony involved in Rodgers joining the Vikings, as he would be following the same path that former quarterback Brett Favre did during his career.

Like Rodgers, Favre starred for the Green Bay Packers for many years before joining the Jets and then Vikings later in his career. Favre was with New York for just one season but had more success than Rodgers while going 9-7 as a starter and making the Pro Bowl.

By comparison, Rodgers suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in the first game of the 2023 campaign and then went 5-12 as a starter in 2024.

Favre played two seasons for the Vikings and was a Pro Bowler in his first while leading them to the NFC Championship Game. That is surely something Minnesota would sign up for from Rodgers, although there would need to be some improvements from last season after he finished 31st in the league in QBR, per Pro Football Reference.

Going to Minnesota could clear the way for that improvement and allow him to be a bridge quarterback before J.J. McCarthy eventually takes over.

It isn't difficult to see where Gardner is coming from seeing how well the Vikings are set up for a quarterback to succeed. They have arguably the best wide receiver in the league in Justin Jefferson, as well as a number of dangerous offensive playmakers such as Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson.

Throw in head coach Kevin O'Connell's offensive background, and it is a tailor-made situation for a quarterback.

That was clear last season when Sam Darnold—who was previously a combined 21-35 as a starter for the Jets, Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers and best known for an inability to live up to expectations as a high-draft pick—led the team to a 14-3 record while completing 66.2 percent of his passes for 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

If Darnold can put up those numbers in Minnesota's offense, it is easy for Gardner and others to speculate Rodgers could be even better.

He won't be No. 1 all-time in all the quarterback stats considering he is 26,262 passing yards and 146 passing touchdowns behind Tom Brady, but he would be in position to bounce back from his disappointing time with the Jets.