When the Jets are called upon to make the 10th pick in the NFL Draft Thursday, WFAN Sal Licata doesn’t want them to take a weapon for Aaron Rodgers. He wants Gang Green to pick his replacement.
Such a strategy would echo what the Packers did when they selected Jordan Love in the first round in 2020. Many believe this is what soured the relationship between Green Bay and Rodgers.
BUY JETS TICKETS: STUBHUB, VIVID SEATS, TICKETMASTER
Would the Jets be willing to risk the same? Licata doesn’t care. He believes New York should be focusing on their future, not Rodgers.
“You’re picking this high, you’d hope to never pick that high again,” Licata said on his WFAN mid-day show, via Audacy. “They’re looking at it the wrong way, to the point where we’re not even discussing it, because it’s not gonna happen.
“Get the quarterback and transition nicely. Have him learn under Rodgers for a year or two, and then that’s it. That’s the ideal situation. They’re not gonna do it, even if he falls to them, because Rodgers would throw a hissy fit. I’d be making the pick for not now – you should never make a draft pick based on now, the short term.”
The quarterback Licata has his sights set on is Washington’s Michael Penix Jr., who led the 2023 Huskies to a 13-0 regular season and the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship game (which they lost).
Some draft experts believe the Jets will pick someone to protect Rodgers or someone he can throw to. They can trade down to take an offensive tackle like Oregon State’s Taliese Fuaga or Penn State’s Olu Fashanu “and pick up extra capital,” ESPN’s Mel Kiper predicts. Or they can stay put and take someone like Georgia tight end Brock Bowers, an elite receiver who can combine with a tackle to slow down an edge rusher or help set the edge in the run game.
Helping Rodgers seems the likely scenario, especially considering that general manager Joe Douglas and coach Robert Saleh’s future with the team hinges on the team’s performance in 2024.
Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription.
Manny Gómez may be reached at [email protected].
