NFL scout: ‘Everyone is afraid to say Aaron Rodgers has declined’

One NFL scout doesn’t agree with New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ ranking among his peers

It seems that rankings with New York Jets players among the top 10 at their position don’t sit well with some people – even if the rankings are decided by their peers.

While Quinnen Williams received praise, we saw Sauce Gardner get into a huge Twitter beef because of his second-place ranking among CBs in an ESPN survey. Now, Aaron Rodgers is facing similar scrutiny.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler has been releasing a series this summer, polling players, coaches, and executives on the best NFL players at their respective positions. Somewhat surprisingly, the Jets have had numerous players featured at various positions. The latest player featured is Aaron Rodgers. The 39-year-old finished as the fourth-ranked quarterback among his peers, behind only Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, and Josh Allen.

Despite the impressive ranking, the Jets’ quarterback still has his naysayers.

One anonymous scout didn’t hesitate to throw shade at the future first-ballot Hall of Famer. They were quoted as saying, “I think everyone is afraid to say he’s declined a little. He’s still a great thrower and sees it really well, but he’s more like [rank] eight to 12 for me.”

Fowler’s article states that the lowest ranking Rodgers received in the poll was No. 8, so despite the scout’s comment, everyone who voted believes he is still among the top quarter of the league’s starting quarterbacks.

Other people had positive things to say about Rodgers. An NFC North coach was quoted as saying, “I’m so glad to have him out of the division … He’s still one of the quarterbacks that you hate to face.”

An AFC executive explained why they think Rodgers gets a bad rap for his statistical decline in 2022.

“If you watch his tape, he still makes some beautiful throws,” the executive said. “It’s hard when you don’t have comfort level with receivers. That’s probably undervalued that people don’t necessarily take into account. It’s not instant-make orange juice. You could see chemistry and timing was off early on. He might not have the same mobility to run, but he will have upgrades with the Jets’ offense and will take advantage.”

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