Former Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum tells a story about recruiting Brett Favre to the team in 2008.

The Jets were engaged in trade talks with the Packers for the legendary quarterback, but he was not interested in playing for the Jets. The Buccaneers were trying to land Favre, too. Tannenbaum had to sell Favre on being a Jet and moving to the area.

Tannenbaum knew Favre loved the outdoors. Tannenbaum told Favre that he could hunt and fish on the New Jersey farm owned by Woody Johnson. He went as far as to get images of the farmland and send them to Favre.

The sales pitch worked, and Favre became a Jet.

I was thinking about this over the past few days because we are going to compare everything about the Aaron Rodgers situation with the Jets with Favre’s 15 years ago.

In the initial comparison, it is evident that Rodgers is not approaching this like Favre at all.

Rodgers actually wants to be a Jet and wants to be in New York. It felt as if Favre was a hostage for that 2008 season, and then he ran to Minnesota as soon as he could.

Since Rodgers appeared on “The Pat McAfee Show” on March 15 and stated his desire to play for the Jets, it has been clear this is actually where he wants to be. There were other teams who showed early interest, but Rodgers chose the Jets.

That point was driven home further over the past week. His press conference last Wednesday was a clinic on how to conduct an introductory press conference. He spoke about winning Super Bowls and his belief in the Jets. He even said this is not the “Same Old Jets,” showing he has an understanding of the fragile psyche of the fan base.

Then, he played the role of New York superfan over the past several days. He attended the Rangers-Devils playoff game on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden, and returned Sunday afternoon for the Knicks-Heat playoff game. He was back for the Knicks’ Game 2 on Tuesday. Rodgers has embraced his role as the newest star in New York.

Will any of these good vibes translate to production on the field? Probably not.

But that was never what you worried about with Rodgers. We have a pretty good idea of what he will look like on Sundays in the fall.

The big question when all this talk started was whether Rodgers actually would want to be a Jet after playing for a historic franchise like the Packers. The next question was whether Rodgers would be “all-in.”

The early indications are that he is all-in. He was on the field in Florham Park last Thursday throwing to teammates. He said he will be at most of the voluntary program this spring getting to know his new teammates. Though Rodgers would not make any promises about 2024, he said he does not view this as a one-year thing.

The Jets have been a doormat for most of the past decade. Hearing and seeing Rodgers this week made it feel as if those days are over.

The Jets have a future Hall of Famer at quarterback, and he actually wants to be here.

Want to catch a game? The Jets schedule with links to buy tickets can be found here.

Now that the NFL Draft is over and the Jets have seven new players, let’s take a look at the biggest winners and losers from how the draft shook out:

Winners

Mekhi Becton: The pre-draft talk was all about the Jets drafting a tackle in the first round. Instead, they did not draft one until the fourth round. This bodes well for Becton, who is looking to return to the starting lineup after missing all but one total game in the past two seasons. Becton — who predictably had his fifth-year option for 2024 declined by the Jets on Tuesday — and Duane Brown are the favorites to be the starting tackles, and it is difficult to see anyone else pushing them for the jobs right now.

Denzel Mims: Another 2020 draft pick who benefitted from whom the Jets did not pick. The Jets did not draft a wide receiver, and Mims could hang on to the fifth wide receiver spot behind Garrett Wilson, Allen Lazard, Corey Davis and Mecole Hardman. Mims still appears to be a longshot to be on the roster when the season starts, but his odds went up after this weekend.

Kwon Alexander: The Jets drafted a linebacker in the sixth round, but it would be a shock if he is ready to play defense as a rookie. The Jets should bring Alexander back as their third linebacker. He played well at times last season, and surely can be had for a reasonable contract. Alexander brought energy to the defense with his big hits and his style. He’s good for the locker room as well as on the field.

Losers

Connor McGovern: The Jets re-signed the center last week, but he only got $1.9 million, which was the first sign his hold on the center job was tenuous. Then the Jets drafted Joe Tippmann in the second round, meaning McGovern is on borrowed time. The Jets said there will be a competition at center, but it is only a matter of time before Tippmann takes the job.

Michael Carter: I’m not sure Israel Abanikanda will walk in the door and surpass Carter on the depth chart, but this is yet another indication the team does not have much faith in Carter. Consider what the Jets have done in the past year: drafted Breece Hall in the second round after Carter had a promising rookie season; traded for James Robinson after Hall tore his ACL; moved Zonovan Knight into the starting role after Robinson fell flat; and drafted Abanikanda. This all does not bode well for Carter’s future with the Jets.

The edge rushers: I’m not sure how Robert Saleh is going to keep all of his edge rushers happy. The room was already crowded, and then they drafted Will McDonald in the first round. The rotation here is going to be fascinating to watch. You have two recent first-round picks in McDonald and Jermaine Johnson vying for time with two players the Jets recently paid in Carl Lawson and John Frankiln-Myers, plus Bryce Huff and Micheal Clemons. That’s a lot of guys for the edge rusher role.

People say Rodgers had a down season in 2022. His down season would have been one of the best in Jets history. Consider that Rodgers threw 26 touchdowns in his “down” year. Only five Jets quarterbacks ever have thrown as many in a season. Here are the top 10 seasons in touchdown passes by a Jets quarterback:

1. Ryan Fitzpatrick, 2015: 31 TDs
   2. Vinny Testaverde, 1998: 29 TDs
   T-3. Mark Sanchez, 2011: 26 TDs
   T-3. Joe Namath, 1967: 26 TDs
   T-3. Al Dorow, 1960: 26 TDs
   T-6. Ken O’Brien, 1986: 25 TDs
   T-6. Ken O’Brien, 1985: 25 TDs
   T-6. Richard Todd, 1981: 25 TDs
   T-9. Brett Favre, 2008: 22 TDs
   T-9. Chad Pennington, 2002: 22 TDs

Source: Pro Football Reference