Is Aaron Rodgers still deserving of a top five QB ranking?

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers was considered the most gifted passer in the NFL for most of his career. For many years in Green Bay Rodgers, was viewed as a top-three QB in the league and even No. 1 at times.

Over the past couple of years, Rodgers’ cache around the league has taken a hit due to a decline in production during his final season with the Packers. Then he missed all but four plays last season for the Jets after suffering a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 1.

However, some would still mention Rodgers as one of the best QBs in the league despite all that. Tom Brady, who is a seven-time Super Bowl champion and future Hall of Famer, is one of those people. In fact, Brady recently went so far as to include Rodgers in his top-five QB ranking.

While speaking at Fanatics Fest this past weekend, Brady sat down with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith and ranked his top five. Although Brady was somewhat coaxed into it by Smith, he ran with it and added Rodgers as his fifth QB.

"Oh, of course. Absolutely," Brady agreed adding Rodgers to his list.

It's not the most ringing endorsement, but it surely brings the question to mind most are wondering: Is Rodgers still worthy of a top-five QB ranking in 2024? From 2011-21 the answer to that was an emphatic, "Yes."

But with Rodgers coming off missing an entire season for the most part and a down year to end his career in Green Bay in 2022, the answer to that question isn’t so cut and dry. We expect Rodgers to play well as he returns from injury, but expecting him to be elite could be a bit much.

In Rodgers’ last full season played, his completion percentage, passing yards, touchdowns and yards per game all declined drastically. Passer rating and QBR, too. That last season with the Packers, Rodgers threw double-digit interceptions for the first time since 2010.

Some will use past success to project what Rodgers is still capable of, but if that’s the case, one has to take the good with the bad and include what he displayed the last time he was healthy. There’s no doubt Rodgers gives the Jets the best chance of winning games this season, but expecting him to come back and automatically claim a top-five spot at age 40 is wild.