A New Era in Jets: Comeback Player of the Year Finalist Hints at Joining Forces with Aaron Rodgers

Aaron Rodgers doesn’t know what his future will be with the New York Jets, but he could be one teammate richer wherever he goes.

The finalists for NFL honors have been announced. After months of conversation from fans, analysts, and even Jay Gruden’s OROY thoughts on Bo Nix and Jayden Daniels, the official finalists have been revealed.

There are many players up for at least one award, but when it comes to Comeback Player of the Year, the list has been narrowed down to Joe Burrow, Sam Darnold, JK Dobbins, Christian Gonzales, and Damar Hamlin. Justin Jefferson’s comments on what he likes about Darnold hints at which player he’d vote for.

Of course, four of those players come from the AFC. Burrow plays for the Cincinnati Bengals, Christian Gonzales plays for the New England Patriots, and Damar Hamlin plays for the Buffalo Bills. JK Dobbins plays for the Los Angeles Chargers, but perhaps not for long.

JK Dobbins on joining Aaron Rodgers

According to Spotrac, Dobbins is at the end of his one-year contract signed with the Los Angeles Chargers. Once that officially concludes in March, he can sign anywhere. One potential team-up he was asked about was with Aaron Rodgers. Speaking on a January 23 edition of “Up and Adams,”

“Yeah, I would play with Aaron for sure. That was one of the conversations we were having during rehab,” Dobbins said.

He continued, relaying the conversation: “[Rodgers] was like, ‘You should come play with me.’ I was like, ‘Aaron, I would love to come. I would love to play with you. I would love to be on your team and be right alongside of you.’ And you never know.”

Of course, the juicy part of this is that Aaron Rodgers has no guarantees with the New York Jets. As such, in theory, Rodgers could end up at a new location, bringing along JK Dobbins in the process.

That said, if Rodgers stays in New York, he could end up with Dobbins as well, although it would make for an interesting preseason competition with Breece Hall.

Dobbins rushed for 905 yards and nine touchdowns in 2024.

JK Dobbins should go where the money is

While Dobbins might find it tempting to join forces to play with one of the biggest quarterbacks of his youth, he should make sure money is king. The running back market is a brutal one and if Dobbins has the choice between giving himself some financial breathing room or playing with Rodgers, he should go with the money.

Dobbins is coming off the best season of his career, and it would not be the best thing at age 26, to procrastinate money. If Rodgers is still in the league in two years, Dobbins should go live out a potential childhood dream. However, he should be practical first, especially after a difficult first half-decade to his career.