$200 Million Worth Aaron Rodgers’ Good Friend Finally Realizes 4x MVP Will Walk in the Shadows of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning After Historic Move to New York

Published 04/25/2023, 10:46 AM EDT

It was a long wait but it is now finally over. Aaron Rodgers is now officially a New York Jets player after months of speculation and anticipation. But he isn’t alone in changing teams after spending the majority of his career with one franchise. His best friend just realized that Rodgers will walk in the shadow of the likes of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning after his blockbuster move to New York.

Pat McAfee was surely pumped up after the Rodgers trade news broke out. After all, it was his show where the four-time MVP shared his desire to play for the Jets first. While McAfee will wait for his friend to return to the show again sometime, he compared the $200 million-worth QB’s move away from the Green Bay Packers with some other legends of the game.

Pat McAfee compares Aaron Rodgers to Tom Brady and others

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Talking about Aaron Rodgers’ trade to the Jets, NFL veteran Pat McAfee realized that many legendary QBs have changed teams late in their career. And the outgoing Packers QB is joining a legendary list with some of the biggest names in the sport.

“This is pretty legendary. Tom Brady, obviously the contract ends, ends up with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Peyton Manning gets cut from the Indianapolis Colts, goes to the Denver Broncos. Matthew Stafford gets traded from Detroit to go over to the Rams. Russell Wilson gets traded from the Seahawks to the Broncos. So, it is common practice these days for our great quarterbacks to be on the move and go to a new team,” McAfee said on the ‘Pat McAfee Show’.

The trio of Brady, Manning, and Stafford changed their teams and won the Super Bowl wherever they went. While Russell Wilson hasn’t joined that list yet, the expectations are high for him too. He and Rodgers will have to carry the weight of the expectations all the way to the finish line.

The great expectations

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Aaron Rodgers already knows how it feels to win a Super Bowl title. He did that with the Packers in 2011. But now, the expectations will obviously be greater. After all, he is going to a team that is starved of success. The Jets last made the playoffs in the 2010 season, the same season that Rodgers led the Packers to the title. And they hope it is Rodgers who delivers them to the promised land too.

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The franchise has already seen the impact of signing Rodgers. They have rarely played a primetime game in recent years. In fact, the last time they played a Sunday Night Football game was way back in 2012. That is surely going to change this upcoming season when Rodgers is on the field.

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The Jets have already made some moves to help settle Rodgers as quickly as possible. They have Nathaniel Hackett as their OC. Allen Lazard is also there to help his QB reach his goal. But will he deliver on the promise? Only time has the answer to the question.

Watch this story: Tom Brady teases return talks with Jets rivals amidst Aaron Rodgers’ ongoing deal

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Written by:

Shivam Pratap Singh is a seasoned NFL writer at Essentially Sports. With a master's degree in international and area studies from a prestigious university, Shivam leverages his academic background to gain a deeper understanding of the global impact of sports. Shivam's passion for football developed early in his career as a writer.

Edited by:

Hitesh Nigam

$200 Million Worth Aaron Rodgers’ Good Friend Finally Realizes 4x MVP Will Walk in the Shadows of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning After Historic Move to New York

Pat McAfee compares Aaron Rodgers to Tom Brady and others

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The great expectations