Safety Jordan Whitehead plays for the Jets and that means the biggest story of his offseason is that he is now teammates with quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
For most Jets players, the experience of getting used to playing with a quarterback destined for Canton is a new one. Whitehead has been down this road in the past, however.
Whitehead played for the Buccaneers in 2020, which means he helped welcome Tom Brady to Tampa after Brady left the Patriots as a free agent. Brady’s arrival put the Bucs on a path to a Super Bowl title and the Jets are hoping for the same kind of impact from Rodgers’ addition.
“It was kind of the same situation I fell into when I was with the Bucs,” Whitehead said, via the team’s website. “We had a great defense the year before and we just needed one piece that was missing. . . . I tell the guys it’s kind of like déjà vu for me. I let everyone know that we have to have the right group.”
The 2019 Bucs ranked 29th in points allowed and 15th in yards allowed while going 7-9 with Jameis Winston at quarterback. Last year’s Jets ranked fourth in both metrics, so there will likely be quite a few people in the organization who feel they have the right group to take advantage of Rodgers’ arrival.