The New York Jets have struggled to be a consistently competitive franchise for a long time. In the past 30 seasons, they have just seven winning seasons and seven playoff wins. Their last time reaching the postseason came in 2010 when they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game. In other words, the Jets have been mediocre or downright awful more often than not, and everyone, fans and executives alike, are tired of it.
In 2022, the Jets struck gold in the NFL Draft, selecting both Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner. The two swept the NFL’s Rookie of the Year awards and, for the first time in a long time, gave everyone hope that perhaps New York wasn’t that far away from becoming relevant.
Of course, it was this belief that led the Jets to acquire four-time MVP and future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers in a trade with the Green Bay Packers. With Rodgers in tow, surely New York would finally return to the postseason and, perhaps, compete for a Super Bowl.
Aaron Rodgers Played Four Snaps for the New York Jets in 2023
Unfortunately, the Jets and Rodgers were not able to find out if their marriage would result in a Super Bowl in 2023. The four-time NFL MVP, playing in his age 40 season, tore his Achilles early in Week One and was lost for the season.
It was truly a disappointment on so many levels. After acquiring Rodgers, the Jets became one of the most covered teams in the entire NFL. HBO selected them for Hard Knocks and fans were treated to an inside look to the team’s preparations for the season. Many analysts predicted that they would come out of the AFC and at least win the Super Bowl.
Instead, they finished 7-10 for the second season in a row and embarked on another dramatic offseason. Former second-overall pick Zach Wilson was shipped off to the Denver Broncos for a late-round draft pick and their star quarterback, who played a whole four offensive snaps for them, was constantly in the headlines for his controversial (and sometimes offensive) remarks on numerous podcasts.
NFL Analyst Mike Silver Says the New York Jets “Made a Deal with the Devil” when They Acquired Aaron Rodgers
The Jets soon found out that having Rodgers on one’s team means that things are going to be done his way, and his way only. Perhaps they knew that even before trading for him, as their hiring of Nathaniel Hackett and signing of Allen Lazard would indicate.
On Tuesday, Rodgers made headlines because he chose to skip New York’s mandatory minicamp so that he could attend “an event that is very important to him,” sparking outrage among the fanbase. This is the way things are run when Rodgers is involved, though, as NFL analyst Mike Silver said on the “Up and Adams” show:
Aaron Rodgers OR Jared Goff??? 🤔
“It just feels like the (Jets) made a deal with the devil…”@MikeSilver @CalFootball @heykayadams pic.twitter.com/RK7Xx6lU6n
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) June 11, 2024
“It just feels like they made a deal with the devil in that not only do we want Aaron Rodgers, but you [Rodgers] can have everything that you want,” Silver said. “And we’re going to go get your coordinator preemptively, we’re going to go get Lazard, we’re going to go get all these guys, and if it works, great! And if not, it will implode again.
“I mean, Aaron Rodgers is one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. He’s certainly capable of elevating [the team] and winning the whole thing. I’m not saying they can’t win. But I also think the potential for implosion is very, very real.”
The Jets have certainly built their team around Rodgers and, in a way, have put all their eggs in one basket when it comes to winning with him at quarterback. Now they are banking on his woeful 2022 season and injury-shortened 2023 season being flukes all while expecting a 40-year old coming off of an injury that has ended many careers to return to his MVP level.
Perhaps Silver has a point.
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