National Football League

Why Tom Brady believes change of scenery will help Aaron Rodgers in 2023

Published Sep. 5, 2023 2:08 p.m. ET

Tom Brady can relate to the late-stage playing career move Aaron Rodgers made this past offseason and thinks that it will lead him to have a "great year."

The seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback made a similar decision in 2020, opting to leave the Patriots after 20 seasons with the franchise to sign with the Buccaneers, who he played with for the final three seasons of his career.

Tom Brady predicts a great year for Aaron Rodgers' Jets

That decision paid dividends for Brady in Year 1, leading the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl win followed by two division titles in the ensuing two seasons. As Rodgers looks to replicate that in his first season with the Jets, Brady shared what he thinks could help him in 2023 after spending the last 18 seasons with the Packers.

"There's a different energy about it," Brady said on his podcast, "Let's Go." "It's a newness. It's a fresh start to try to take where you've been, to bring all the good and then not to bring the tough lessons, you know? Because sometimes the tough lessons always remain unless you work through 'em, you know? So it's like you go through a lot of years at one place and there's a lot of, I would say, mental scar tissue, from losses or relationships or certain experiences. Oh, this guy had said this once, or that teammate, or this coach or that general manager."

Rodgers certainly had friction with the Packers over his final few seasons with the team. Green Bay's decision to trade up and select Jordan Love with its first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft seemed to be the impetus of it, leading to Rodgers demanding a trade during the 2021 offseason before signing a three-year extension in 2022.

That friction all came to a head this past offseason when the Packers reportedly made Rodgers available for trade, which was part of the reason why the 39-year-old decided to hold off retirement. Following several weeks of negotiations, Rodgers was traded from the Packers to the Jets in late April.

Rodgers seems to be right at home already as he prepares for his first season with Gang Green, drawing constant praise from teammates and coaches as depicted in "Hard Knocks." Brady thinks that kind of energy will help bring out the best in Rodgers this season.

"You go to a new place and you have none of that [tension]," Brady said. "So now you can just hopefully bring your best knowing that you probably didn't do everything right where you were, but you tried your best. And now you get to go to a new place with a different type of emotional energy. And I'm excited for him. He'll be invigorated. Looks like he's having a good time up to this year. I know he has been engaged in the offseason, which is always great, and really trying to connect with his teammates.

"So I'm excited to see what he does. They have a really good team. They have a really good offense. And, you know, Aaron's been, when he's got good receivers, man, it's pretty dangerous. … I think he's gonna have a great year."

Super Bowl or bust for Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets this season?

The four-time MVP had some struggles in his final season in Green Bay. He threw for the fewest yards (3,695) and had the second-fewest touchdown passes (26) in a season that he's played at least 10 games in over his career. He also had his lowest passer rating (91.1) in a season since he became a starter in 2008, dealing with some other issues, such as thumb and rib injuries plus struggling to connect with a young receiving corps following the departure of Davante Adams.

Rodgers and the Jets are among the handful of favorites to win the AFC this season, holding the fifth-best odds to do so. They'll also hold the second-best odds to win the AFC East, trailing just the Bills, who have won the division the last three seasons. That's also who Rodgers will go up against in his Jets debut as they'll host the Bills on Sept. 11.

FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience