Jets rookie QB Jordan Travis plans to absorb knowledge from Aaron Rodgers and Tyrod Taylor
Jordan Travis during Jets Rookie Mini Camp in Florham Park, NJ, Saturday, May 4, 2024 Credit: Ed Murray
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Jordan Travis suffered a gruesome lower-leg injury in November that changed the course of his football career. The rookie quarterback never doubted he would return, though.
“I love adversity,” Travis said Saturday after the Jets completed their rookie minicamp. “That just makes the story a whole lot cooler. I’ve always said that from the day I broke my leg until now. I love it. There’s never been a doubt in my mind.”
Travis is on the comeback trail. The former Florida State star is recovering and expected to be able to practice in training camp. In the meantime, he will rehab, study the playbook and get to know Aaron Rodgers and Tyrod Taylor very well.
Travis, 24, credits his family and friends for being strong and supporting him. He said his mother, a nurse, “inspires me.” He’s not one to play the “what if’’ game. “I always fall back on God has a plan,” he said.
Travis was having a brilliant senior season. He threw for 2,756 yards, 20 touchdowns and only two interceptions and rushed for seven touchdowns for undefeated Florida State.
Had he not gotten hurt, he would have been drafted a lot higher than the fifth round. The Jets grabbed him with the No. 171 overall pick, believing he has the tools and mental makeup to become their future starting quarterback. “He’s a tremendously talented young man, extremely gifted, especially athletically,” Robert Saleh said.
“He’s got a lot of work to do for sure, especially with tying his lower half to his arm. But he’s a gifted athlete. He’s got a tremendous mindset. I think he hasn’t even scratched the surface.
“He was winning games doing things that were just pure athleticism. If we can tie in the football part to it, I think we’ve got ourselves a pretty damn good quarterback.”
Travis sees it the same way. Rodgers hopes to play two to three more years, but Travis looks forward to learning from the future Hall of Famer and has envisioned eventually taking over for Rodgers.
“Yes, sir. I’ve been thinking about that a lot,” Travis said. “Right now, I’m just focused where my feet are, just getting healthy, getting everyone around me better, being a great teammate.”
The coaches will help Travis with the physical part of his game and the mechanics. They want him to be a sponge around Rodgers and Taylor and to never stop asking questions.
“I know this: With Tyrod and Aaron, if you ask them a question, they’ll answer it,” Saleh said. “If I’m J.T., I’m going to act like my little son Mikey, who just asks me 300 questions every night about life. I’ll answer all of them. He should be in there asking as many questions as possible. He will get anything he asks.”
Travis, who threw for 8,715 yards, 66 touchdowns and 20 interceptions in his career at Florida State, is excited to learn from Rodgers and Taylor.
Rodgers is a four-time MVP entering his 20th NFL season. Taylor is on his seventh team in 13 years, so he’s played with different offenses and against all types of defenses. Between them, they have played in 323 NFL games and more than 14,000 snaps.
Travis plans to be a good listener around them. “I observe a lot,” he said. “I watch every little thing that they do. I’m going to ask a lot of questions for sure.
“You have two great quarterbacks ahead of you. I’ve been looking up to them for a long time and watching them for a long time. So I have an opportunity to pick their brains every single day, see how they treat their teammates, see how they carry themselves off and on field. I’m looking forward to it for sure.”
It’s possible that Travis would be competing for a starting job or at least a backup position on another team had the injury not happened. Instead of being bitter, Travis is focused on getting better.
“It’s a dream come true at the end of the day,” he said. “It’s an opportunity for me to get better. That’s how I look at every single thing, that God has a plan for me. Every day I wake up, I just want to be the best person I could be, the best teammate I could be. I just want to be the best I can be in everything I do.”
There’s Mr. Irrelevant
Safety Jaylen Key, whom the Jets took with the last pick, is having a good time with being known as “Mr. Irrelevant.” Key said, “Everybody’s [saying], ‘Hey, Mr. Irrelevant’ while you’re walking around the facility.”
In late June, Key will go to California for Irrelevant Week, an annual NFL celebration that includes a parade in Disneyland.
“It’s definitely kind of cool for you to be recognized for a week,” Key said. “Go to Disney, play some golf, get on the beach, things of that nature. It’s pretty cool to have a trip that’s pretty much all about you.”
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
