There are already fans, pundits begging for Tom Brady to join the Jets
FOXBORO -- With Aaron Rodgers likely lost for the season after suffering an Achilles injury just four snaps into his Jets career on Monday night, New York fans are already looking for another quarterback to lead their team to glory. Unsurprisingly, some are floating out the idea of bringing in a retired quarterback who enjoyed plenty of success against the Jets for over two decades: Tom Brady.
Brady seems happily retired, but you knew some fans and pundits were going to go the "Brady to the Jets" route as soon as Rodgers was helped off the field Monday night against Buffalo. Eli Manning floated it on Monday night's Manningcast of the game, and Nick Wright shared his opinion on the matter on X.
If Rodgers’ injury is as bad as this halftime show is making it sound like it is, then there’s only one possible answer:
— nick wright (@getnickwright) September 12, 2023
Tom Brady to the Jets.
Fans began to crowd the bandwagon, and longtime New York sports scribe Gary Myers jumped on the train Tuesday morning.
I know @TomBrady owns small piece of the Raiders. He can put that in a trust or escrow or whatever for a year. I'm serious: The Jets need to call him. He loves New York. Can you imagine if he's the one to win the Jets a Super Bowl? The Jets roster is as good as the Bucs in 2020.
— Gary Myers (@GaryMyersNY) September 12, 2023
It's hard to fault Jets fans and New Yorkers for wanting the 46-year-old to come try to lead their team to a Super Bowl. Brady won seven of those over his 23-year career, and he won a truckload of games against the Jets, going 30-7 against his AFC East rival. He also owns 18-3 career record in his visits to New Jersey, with three of those wins coming against the New York Giants.
Aside from Brady being retired (for real this time, we think), there are other hurdles for this fantasy to become a reality. Brady has an ownership stake in the Las Vegas Raiders, so he'd have to ditch that to play again. Given his vast portfolio, Brady probably wouldn't be too torn up over giving up a piece of the Raiders.
There's also the little matter of Brady professing that he is a "Patriot for life" during Sunday's halftime ceremony honoring him at Gillette Stadium. Pats owner Robert Kraft has waived the waiting period for the team's Hall of Fame and is going to put Brady in next June, so any comeback -- especially to the Jets -- wouldn't sit very well with New England ownership or Patriots fans.
No one doubts that Brady probably could still suit up every weekend and win a bunch of games for anyone. But he did admit to being a bit winded after making another sprint down the sidelines at Gillette on Sunday, and he does seem to be genuinely enjoying his retired life. He had his three kids and several members of his family on hand for Sunday's celebration in Foxboro, and caught some U.S. Open in New York over the weekend. He seems pretty content with not playing football anymore.
Brady taking Manhattan would be quite the storyline for the NFL. Jets fans can certainly dream, but they're probably going to have to settle for another season of Zach Wilson or a veteran like Nick Foles at quarterback.