This Cowboys-Jets trade would save NY from Aaron Rodgers disaster

The Dallas Cowboys caught a massive break before Week 2, as New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers suffered a season-ending torn Achilles. It's a devastating loss for the Jets, as fans in the Big Apple were dreaming Super Bowl after pairing the future Hall of Famer with one of the NFL's premier defenses.

Rodgers' injury happened four snaps into his Jets career, and New York will now pivot to backup quarterback Zach Wilson for the time being. That's admittedly great news for Dallas after they harassed Daniel Jones in Week 1.

Wilson is a bottom-tier quarterback and the Jets offense unsurprisingly sputtered after he relieved Rodgers on Monday night. He threw an ugly interception straight to a Bills defender and finished with 140 passing yards, a 22.6 QBR and 81.4 passer rating,

The Jets' nightmare presents a great opportunity for the Cowboys to capitalize on their deep quarterback room.

This trade involving Cooper Rush could pique the Jets' interest.

Radio hosts in New York are dreaming of Tom Brady coming out of retirement. Some have floated Matthew Stafford given the Jets considered trading for him in the offseason before they pursued Rodgers. Those are pipe dreams, though.

Well-traveled veterans like Jameis Winston, Teddy Bridgewater and Carson Wentz are much more realistic for the Jets. With a defense comparable to that of the Cowboys and 49ers, all New York needs is a competent game manager; someone who more often than not won't lose you a game.

Zach Wilson and his career 55.6% completion rate, 71.2 passer rating and 19 interceptions in 22 starts aren't going to cut it. We saw that last season, and is largely why the Jets went out and acquired Rodgers from Green Bay.

Similarly, we saw last year that Rush can win with an elite defense. Rush led Dallas to a 4-1 record without Dak Prescott in 2022 and he won his lone start in 2021. While Dallas' defense was the catalyst behind those wins, he had command of the offense and took care of the football.

Wilson currently can't see the field. He struggles going through his progressions and he can't complete passes in the pocket.

Rush doesn't have the arm talent of a Winston or Wentz, but he'd give the Jets a respectable quarterback floor week in and week out. As long as the defense plays up to its potential, that might be all they need to win games.

Of course, trading Rush would promote Trey Lance as Dak Prescott's backup. That might not be something Jerry Jones wants given how much time Prescott has missed in the last few seasons, but the opportunity is there if the owner wants it.

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