ESPN: Aaron Rodgers reached out to Jordan Travis after being drafted by Jets

Former Florida State star Jordan Travis appears to have ended up in a good spot after being drafted by the New York Jets in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Travis has the opportunity to learn from Jets star Aaron Rodgers until Rodgers retires, and then he should have the chance to compete for the starting quarterback job in New York.

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Aaron Rodgers is excited to have Jordan Travis on board, and he reached out to the dual-threat quarterback after the Jets drafted him.

“I was told that Aaron Rodgers and Tyrod Taylor reached out to Jordan Travis via texts, phone calls, to say, ‘Hey look, we’re excited to work with you,’” Jeremy Fowler said Saturday morning on SportsCenter. “So he’s in a good spot to work with the very best.”

Travis threw for 2,756 yards with 20 touchdowns and only two interceptions through 11 games this past season, before suffering a gruesome season-ending leg injury. He also rushed for 176 yards and seven touchdowns and finished fifth in Heisman voting.

The leg injury likely led to him falling all the way to the fifth round of the draft.

Jordan Travis has been cleared to return to some football activities, but he isn’t expected to be full-go in rookie minicamp, according to Fowler.

“As they’re in rookie minicamp, he can do a little bit of light throwing but probably won’t do any 11-man work, as I’m told,” Fowler reports. “This is a long-term play coming off that severe lower leg injury that he had during the season at FSU. They want to bring him along slowly, long-term play. They really like the makeup, the character of the player. But they don’t need to rush him out there, even in a rookie minicamp setting.” 

Florida State won the ACC and was 13-0 in 2023, before being blown out by Georgia in the Orange Bowl. The Seminoles were passed over for the College Football Playoff, despite going undefeated, in what was a controversial move. That led to several players opting out of the Orange Bowl and FSU eventually getting routed in the game.

Jordan Travis played six seasons of college football in total after starting his career at Louisville. He appeared in three games for the Cardinals in 2018.

The first season for Travis in Tallahassee came in 2019 when he appeared in the final four games. He passed for only 79 yards that season, while rushing for 228 yards and three scores.

The West Palm Beach native received his first opportunity to start in 2020. That season, he played in eight games and made six starts. Travis was 72-of-131 passing for 1,056 yards and six touchdowns. He also rushed for 559 yards and seven touchdowns on 97 carries. In the process, he set the Florida State school record for rushing yards in a season by a quarterback.

Travis started the majority of the games for Florida State in 2021, appearing in 10 games and making eight starts. He passed for 1,539 yards and 15 touchdowns, while rushing for 530 yards and seven scores. He was named the Offensive MVP for the Seminoles.

Travis then had a breakout year in 2022, passing for 3,214 yards and 24 touchdowns. He started all 13 games and earned second-team All-ACC honors. He followed that up by having the best year of his career in 2023, before being named the ACC Player of the Year.