Jets continue to wink and nod at Aaron Rodgers ties

The Jets are openly looking for a veteran quarterback, and Robert Saleh’s latest comments aren’t slowing the Aaron Rodgers rumor.

The story of the offseason is already pretty clear even though the NFL season isn’t officially over yet. The Jets and the quarterback rumor mill certainly won’t be waiting for a champion to be crowned in the Super Bowl.

New York was a popular destination for speculation for Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers to start. Then they hired his former offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett to lead their offense. The fit is just too obvious not to discuss.

Head coach Robert Saleh only heightened the feeling that the Jets and Rodgers are inevitable with his comments Thursday.

“We plan to bring in a veteran quarterback,” Saleh told reporters after Hackett was hired.

Asked about the possibility of this veteran quarterback openly rivaling Zach Wilson, what he chose not to say speaks volumes.

“Umm, I don’t know about that one. Let’s go through this process, you can ask me before training camp,” Saleh said.

It’s easy to read between the lines and conclude that a reporter might feel silly asking if Wilson could openly compete with a quarterback like Aaron Rodgers.

Robert Saleh is just fanning the smoke around Aaron Rodgers and the Jets

Whether you want to read anything in Saleh’s answer or not, the connection between Rodgers and the Jets isn’t going to go away, especially since New York is one of the few teams that can afford to add the quarterback.

On the Bill Simmons Podcast on Friday, Bill Simmons added to the dreams of New York fans.

“I found out last week it’s going to be the Jets,” Simmons said, calling the Raiders a replacement.

His guest, Peter Schrager of Fox Sports, did nothing to pump the brakes.

“I don’t cup it at all,” Schrager said.