Aaron Rodgers now has perfect Jets blindside bodyguard

Now, a future Hall of Fame left tackle will be guarding the ultimate prize: a future Hall of Fame quarterback.

And with the front-runner to become a future Hall of Fame quarterback returning with the 40-year-old Achilles heel that betrayed him last season, Tyron Smith has become the Jets’ most indispensable player behind Aaron Rodgers.

Joe Namath is forever grateful to the late Hall of Fame LT Winston Hill for helping him along the Jets’ journey to Super Bowl LIII and beyond.

“He saved my life so many times,” Namat once said.

And he added, “Winston never lost to anybody. He never let us down. Winston was the man.”

Dobrikashaw Ferguson was “The Man” of The Blindside for 10 years. Mekhi Becton wasn’t “The Man.” Duane Brown wasn’t “The Man.”

Tyron Smith, who spent 13 years in Dallas, is truly “The Man.”

“Tyrone still has that ability. I mean, he’s a star,” Rodgers told NFL Network on Saturday.

Smith is happy to take on the responsibility of keeping Rodgers on the right side and out of danger.

“I love it,” he said. “It’s a challenge. If there weren’t challenges, it wouldn’t be fun.”

The biggest challenge for Smith will be staying on the field. He hasn’t played a full season since 2015 and has missed 37 games over the past four years with a variety of injuries including neck, back, knee, ankle, hamstring and elbow. But when asked if he feels better than he’s felt in a long time, he said: “Yeah. I just have to stay in shape, stay healthy, stay in shape and be available for my teammates.”

The Jets, who were ranked 30th in pass-blocking by Pro Football Focus last season, signed Smith to a one-year contract worth up to $20 million after he was selected to the Pro Bowl eight times. Smith is a prototypical 6-foot-5, 320-pound player who still considers himself a dominant player.

“He has a reputation for being an elite athlete and person,” Robert Saleh said.

Rodgers has been thrilled with the maturity and depth of his revamped offensive line. Smith isn’t the most passionate guy, but when he speaks, young tackles like Olu Fashanu listen. And when he blocks…

“Other than that, he’s just super talented, he’s got big hands, his footwork is incredible, you just see the footwork from his feet to his punches and you can tell he’s been doing this for a long time,” Aliyah Bela-Tucker said. “So when you see a guy like him, it makes you want to get to that level.”

The future Hall of Fame left tackle has never blocked for a future Hall of Fame quarterback.

“It’s fun,” Smith said, “you get to be on the field with him and feel the experience. He definitely knows what he’s doing and makes everything a lot smoother when you’re going through everything.”

It is Smith who plays a key role in giving Rodgers the opportunity to launch a nuclear weapon named Garrett Wilson.

“He’s really dynamic. He can go from zero to full speed quickly and it looks like he’s skating but he’s really fast,” Rodgers told NFL Network. “It’s talent. If we can get him to understand the little things, things will work out.”

“He’s the most dynamic person I’ve ever met.”

Smith will play a key role in giving Breece Hall a chance to knock on the elite door of Christian McCaffrey.

“Brees called me today and said, ‘Man, the run game is great right now,'” Rodgers told NFL Network.

Rodgers congratulated his Packers replacement Jordan Love on his new four-year, $220 million contract extension. With $155 million guaranteed, Love joins Joe Burrow and Trevor Lawrence as the only quarterbacks with annual salary of more than $55 million. Love is just the eighth quarterback to sign a contract with an average annual salary of more than $50 million.

“Don’t put it all in one place,” Rodgers told NFL Network, “but I still have a house for sale in Green Bay if I do.”

The Jets should be thrilled that Rodgers’ average salary of $37.5 million is suddenly a bargain, and with Rodgers hoping to play into 2025, it’s another “little thing” he can use as motivation.

“We feel like if it all comes together it could become something great,” Smith said.

The Jets did that a long time ago: a great left tackle backing up a great quarterback.