FIRST TAKE | Healthy! Aaron Rodgers is best QB NFL, Jets can win Super Bowl - Tom Brady & Stephen A.

top five quarterbacks in the National Football League right now according to Tom Brady Patrick Mahomes being number one give me two three four and five um yeah so I just think I think consistently well the guys that I see um I see Josh Al as someone who's always impresses me as a player I see Lamar Jackson who always impresses me as a player Joe burrow is very impressive the way he throws the ball and leads the team again another guy who's got a great connection with his teammates I'll leave it those four I'mma throw Aaron Rogers in there just it's just me it's just me I'm very interested to see how Aaron comes back and performs this year and you know how dedicated and committed he is to to being a great quarterback again he had a year off I believe that it would be very motivating for him to do that at the end of the day it's going to be up to them to go out there and prove to us right or wrong whether our decisions or judgments or hypothesis about them are right okay let's break that down uh Kmart you're up first so there was one name uh notably left off in some people's minds and that would be Aaron Rogers do you think he's a top five quarterback right now okay Molly I'm not going to lie I actually debated this in my head I went back and forth initially I was like yes and then I was like I don't know and then after a while I came back with yes and here's my reason why game on the line who are my starting like who are the top five guys game on the line I need to win who do I trust in that moment so for me it's momes it's burrow it's Josh Allen CJ stad and then it was that last five spot and there's something that just doesn't feel right about Lether and Aaron Rogers off that and so then I decided all right let me phone a friend CU in my line of work do do the opinion thing do the analyst that's funny it did a ring yeah exactly cuz I know what your answer would be so I me for different things right so then I decided to ask actual football evaluators so I talk to some GM current GMS Michael um and so one gave me this response one top level exec said no he's not he's old he's injury-prone and he's over the hill two other guys I spoke to said you got to leave him at top five until proven otherwise and I think that's where I land because I'm looking at the body of work I'm looking at the two MVPs backtack MVPs in the last four years right and I'm looking at a guy who we didn't get to see last season with the Jets That season unfortunately was curtailed by that devastating injury so until I see Aaron Rogers on the field and I'm looking at him and he falters and he looks kind of like what Mike T was alluding to earlier with the Russell was and like oo he looks like he's lost a step then I'll say no he falls out of my top five but for now he is there so the question is right now so if we take Tom Brady's list of Patrick Mahomes Lamar Jackson Joe burrow and Josh Allen so now there's room for one more here are all the quarterback I would take before Aaron Rogers any of these guys before Aaron Rogers cuz again Molly the question is right now yeah CJ strad Jordan love Matthew Stafford Justin Herbert and there's probably a few more like the Jared gos of the world I would consider rockers is 40 years old and he's coming off an Achilles tendon he has not played high level football in three years let's hope he does it would be a great story New York comeback the whole nine yards let's hope that happens but until we see it guys the Old Coach parcel we go by what we see all those other players people don't want to know that's all I'm a lot of things vanilla is actually my favorite flavor French vanilla is my favorite ice cream flavor by the way but anyway I digress the point is this I would say I thought it was swirl keep going oh it ain't swirl oh not at all not at all but it's french vanilla ice cream anyway when I think about the most polar the most polarizing qu you brought it up don't don't don't go to real I'm I'm talking about soft serve ice cream I don't know where you guys are going I got you I got you swirling is not necessarily so okay go ahead you're so awkward you're so awkward seriously I'm not talking about like taco vanilla like that I'm just talking about swirl ice cream like from Dairy Queen you know I'm a fat kid at heart go ahead don't make it like that I understand I understand anyway anyway H most polariz quarterback in right now I think that part also goes to Aaron Rogers I don't think that's deniable um considering the issues that he had before dep parting from Green Bay considering the off the field issues that he's brought brought to the Forefront um there's a book out him right out about him right now written by the great Ian oconor as well you got family members talking about him and stuff and all of this kind of stuff um we're paying attention to his diet we're T paying attention to the cleans the cleanse stuff that he does for himself uh the the the Hiatus he takes and you know the summer sabatical and living in dark caves and all of this other stuff there's so many different things that have been talked about when it comes to Aaron roders but very little of it has had to do with football because of his injuries over the last couple of years and so because that's the reality that we're looking back on and you're looking at the Jets being a representative of Gotham City 13 Seasons removed from postseason competition recognizing the kind of Savior he's been deemed to be in Gotham City I think all of those things ultimately lend itself towards you looking at Aaron Rodgers who's been involved in his share of controversies and being immunized and not taking the vaccine and all of this other stuff the kind of stuff that he's been in the headlines for over the last few years I think it's aopo to say that he would be the most polarizing in quarterback in the NFL right now the debate about who belongs in the top five quarterbacks in the NFL is as heated as ever but when you throw Aron Rogers into the mix the conversation takes on a whole new level of intensity with all the talk about Patrick Mahomes Joe burrow Josh Allen and the rise of young talents like Lamar Jackson and Justin Herbert where exactly does Rogers fit has he fallen out of the elite conversation or does he still deserve to be mentioned among the NFL's best let's break it down I recently received a text from someone who knows a thing or two about the legal side of professional sports and they pointed out something critical when it comes to NFL debates the league will use any negative comments to their advantage that's just the way the game is played and right now Aaron Rogers is at the center of that game now let's talk about Rogers after suffering a devastating Achilles injury many are questioning whether Rogers can still perform at a high level but before we make any judgments let's let's remember who we're talking about Rogers is a four-time MVP and just two seasons ago he was dominating the league yet here we are debating whether he even belongs in the top five Tom Brady one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time gave his take recently according to Brady Mahomes is number one no debate there then he named Josh Allen Lamar Jackson and Joe burrow as the other quarterbacks who impress him but when it came to that last spot Brady hesitated and that's where Aaron Rogers came in Brady's interest in Rogers this season is telling he knows how committed Rogers is to being great and after a year off Brady believes Rogers will be motivated to prove himself again but as we all know it's up to Rogers to go out there and show us what he's still capable of so where does Rogers really stand some football evaluators are quick to dismiss him calling him old injury-prone and over the hill others however argue that you can't count out a guy like Rogers until he proves otherwise and that's the key Point here until we see Rogers falter he's still in the conversation the reality is Roger status has a top five quarterback hinges on his health and performance this season if he can stay healthy and return to the form that earned him backto back MVPs in 2020 and 21 then there's no question he belongs in that Elite group but if injuries continue to plague him or if age finally catches up then it might be time to admit that his days is a top five quarterback or over but here's where it gets tricky when you're discussing the best quarterbacks in the league you can't ignore the intangible factors Rogers has been a proven winner for years game on the line who do you trust Chris Mahomes burrow Allen and Lamar Jackson are all excellent choices but leing Rogers off that list just doesn't feel right he's a quarterback who's been there done that and delivered when it mattered most yet Skeptics will point out the numbers in 2022 Roger stats were far from his usual Elite level he averages 27.4 passing yards per game his lowest as a full-time starter but let's not forget that Rogers played with a thumb injury for most of that season which undoubtedly affected his performance before that he was Unstoppable leading the Packers to 13- win seasons and winning MVP honors so is Aaron Rogers still a top five quarterback in the NFL right now it's an open question he's coming off a significant injury and there are younger quarterbacks who are making their case is the next generation of elite players but Roger talent and Legacy are undeniable if he's healthy he's still one of the best to ever do it and with the Jets looking like potential Super Bowl contenders Rogers has the chance to remind everyone why he's been one of the most feared quarterbacks in the league for so long the 2023 season will be the ultimate test if Rogers can bounce back and lead the Jets to success then he'll firmly reestablish himself as a top five quarterback but until then the debate will r on one thing's for sure when it comes to Aaron Rogers you can never count him out