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Let’s give the New York Jets credit for this: They didn’t panic and they didn’t jump. Former free agent Derek Carr met with the franchise twice about trying to turn a very promising 7-10 team into a playoff team.
Carr was undoubtedly a nice fit — a good, and occasionally very good, veteran quarterback who could offset the failures of Zach Wilson last year and ride the defense to a big season. He wasn’t, however, the best possible acquisition, the one that could conceivably turn Gang Green into a legit AFC contender. That would be Aaron Rodgers.
The Jets likely could have found a way to make it work with Carr. They could have thrown themselves at a QB who always felt a measure of unwantedness in Las Vegas. They could have doled out a big contract.
Instead, they tried to play the long game and wait for Rodgers to finish his darkness retreat and podcast tour and make a decision on his future.
It cost them Carr, who agreed to terms Monday with New Orleans on a four-year deal. It kept hope alive, however, of Rodgers actually leaving the Green Bay Packers and coming to New York.
Time will tell whether that was a mistake. But even if Rodgers decides to retire, force a trade elsewhere or even stay in Green Bay — thus leaving the Jets on Plan C — the motivation and thought process that got New York there was sound. Don’t settle. Carr is good. Rodgers is potentially great. New York hasn’t been to the playoffs in a dozen years. He’s worth the risk.
And if Rodgers doesn’t happen, well, there are Carr-esque backup options that includes Jimmy Garoppolo to even a wild franchise overhaul featuring a massive trade for Lamar Jackson. The next step might not be too much of a step down. New York can deal with that if necessary.
Right now, it is Rodgers or bust. Right now, it’s about standing pat and waiting for Rodgers to make up his mind about the future, while working with Green Bay on terms that could make a deal work if it comes to that.
Rodgers turns 40 in December and is coming off a season where he threw just 26 touchdowns against 12 interceptions and the Pack missed the playoffs. Still, there is plenty of game still to be tapped there, at least if Rodgers wants to tap it.
He would bring a level of talent, star power and been-there, check-out-my-pile-of-MVPs leadership that the Jets are sorely lacking. If he commits to working with players in the offseason (no guarantee there) he could have an enormous impact immediately.
The Jets have a young defense that speaks to being a true contender. Defensive rookie of the year cornerback Sauce Gardner, linebacker C.J. Mosley and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams were all named to an All-Pro team. They allowed an average of just 18.6 points per game last year, fourth-best in the league.
The problem is they scored an average of just 17.4 points a game (29th out of 32 team in the league). QB was the issue, namely former second overall draft pick Wilson struggling to develop. Yet Rodgers will find some positives there, including an offensive rookie of the year in wide receiver Garrett Wilson.
Daniel Weinman was crowned winner of the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event on Monday, taking home a record breaking $12.1 million in winnings. Weinman had to outlast the other 10,043 entrants to take home the prize and get his hands on his share of live poker’s largest ever prize pool – a staggering $93,399,900. As well as taking home the prize money, 35-year-old Weinman also got his hands on the WSOP Main Event bracelet. The huge bracelet contains 500 grams of 10-karat yellow gold, as well as 2,352 various precious gemstones.
Daniel Weinman won the World Series of Poker's main event world championship on Monday in Las Vegas, earning $12.1 million along the way. Playing in the tournament for a 16th year, Weinman was tops in a deep pool of 10,043 players vying for $93.39 million. His victory came after just 164 hands at the final table. "I was honestly on the fence about even coming back and playing this tournament," the 35-year-old Atlanta native told reporters afterward. Weinman's final table featured Jan-Peter Jachtmann, who landed in fourth place and took home $3 million, as well as Toby Lewis, who finished seventh and secured $1.42 million. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the main event's entry pool far outpaced the previous record of 8,773 set in 2006. "I've always kind of felt that poker was kind of going in a dying direction, but to see the numbers at the World Series this year has been incredible," Weinman said. "And to win this main event, it doesn't feel real. I mean, [there's] so much luck in a poker tournament. I thought I played very well." Steven Jones finished second, securing $6.5 million. And Adam Walton settled for third and a $4 million prize.
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