The New York Jets are set to miss the playoffs for the fourteenth consecutive year. That’s six seasons more than the second-longest active playoff drought, held by both the Broncos and Panthers. With Aaron Rodgers healthy and an influx of veteran talent, this Jets’ team was expected to make the playoffs, at the very least. Some even regarded New York as Super Bowl contenders. Instead, they’ve won just four games through the first fifteen weeks of the season. Both head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas have been fired. The entire organization is in a state of disaster. So, what went wrong for the New York Jets?
Aaron Rodgers is Part of the Problem
When the Jets traded for Aaron Rodgers back in 2023, he was not too far removed from the peak of his career. Rodgers had won back-to-back MVPs in 2020 and 2021. Sure, he had seen a dip in production in 2022, but it was easy to imagine that Rodgers could return to form in New York. The Jets were set to become contenders with Rodgers at the helm.
Then, disaster struck. Just four snaps into the 2023 regular season, Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles’ tendon, sidelining him for the remainder of the year. This devastating injury not only wasted the Jets’ 2023 season, but it robbed New York of the chance to see what they had in Rodgers at this stage of his career. Without that knowledge, they poured all of their resources into surrounding Rodgers with as much veteran talent as possible. The Jets acquired quality starters like Morgan Moses, Tyron Smith, and Mike Williams. Rodgers and the Jets were seemingly set up for success.
In his first full season in New York, Rodgers has been far from the MVP candidate that New York thought he would be. Rodgers is near league average in most statistical categories. He currently ranks 17th among starting quarterbacks in EPA (Expected Points Added) per play. He’s 20th in quarterback rating. These numbers aren’t great, but they’re not enough to tank a season. The problem is more that New York has built their offense completely around the desires of an average NFL quarterback. Though Rodgers isn’t the worst quarterback in the league, his current level of play doesn’t warrant the absolute autonomy he’s been given in the Jets’ offense. Moves like hiring Nathaniel Hackett and trading for Davante Adams are inexplicable based on the current state of Aaron Rodgers…
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