The New York Jets believe they have a roster ready to compete for a Super Bowl in 2024 which will mean getting past the juggernaut of the AFC, the Kansas City Chiefs as well as top contenders in the conference like the Ravens, Bengals, Bills and ascending Texans.
The AFC is loaded — but if history is any indicator of the future —any AFC squad looking to steal the crown will have to go through Kansas City.
With a little over a month before the start of the regular season, everything is speculation. New teams emerge as contenders each season, while other teams fall off the map.
Last year at this time, the New York Jets felt just like they do right now. They were brimming with optimism and viewed as legitimate Super Bowl contenders by both local and national media. Then came Week 1, and just four plays into the regular season all the aspirations were thrown out the window when Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles and was out for the year.
Even without Rodgers and a carousel of below-average quarterback play, the Jets found a way to win seven games and finished with the No. 3 defense in the league, allowing just 292 yards per game.
The Jets were particularly stout against the pass — which bodes well in a conference loaded with the top quarterbacks in the NFL – from Patrick Mahomes to Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert and CJ Stroud just to name a few. That isn’t even considering the second tier of guys like Tua Tagovailoa and Trevor Lawrence, who both just got contract extensions and appear on the cusp of ascending,.
But the New York Jets — who gave up just 168.3 passing yards (No. 2 in the NFL) and 19 total passing touchdowns in 2023 are returning almost all of the key pieces from last year’s defensive unit. If they are able to ink a deal with elite pass rusher Hassan Reddick who they acquired in the offseason, their ability to rush opposing quarterbacks while playing shutdown defense on the back end should make them one of the top defenses in the NFL yet again.
It’s no secret the Jets will go as far as their offense takes them in 2024 and that starts and ends with Aaron Rodgers. He’s fully healthy and recovered and the organization spent the offseason surrounding him with weapons, from adding Mike Williams as a big-bodied WR to pair with Garrett Wilson, or the acquisition of Tyron Smith, an All-Pro tackle who will be responsible for keeping Rodgers off the ground.
They bolstered the offensive line even further in the NFL Draft, adding one of the top tackles of the class, Penn State’s Olumuyiwa Fashanu in the first round. In the third round they added to an already impressive receiving corps by selecting WR Malachi Corley who is already getting rave reviews out of training camp.
One would think the Jets brass is content with their current roster, but on Thursday they hosted a 5-time Pro Bowl WR for a workout, which means they are considering adding yet another weapon for Rodgers,
New York Jets Host 5-Time Pro Bowl WR Jarvis Landry For Workout
According to NFL Insider Aaron Wilson, the Jets hosted veteran Jarvis Landry, rookie Sam Pinckney and former UFL receiver Isaiah Winstead for workouts on Thursday in Florham Park while the team took a one-day practice break. Second-year receiver Xavier Gipson is currently dealing with a leg injury that may keep him out for a couple weeks.
Landry, a five-time Pro Bowl selection, has not played in an NFL game since 2022. The 2014 second-round draft pick exceeded the 1,100-yard receiving mark during three different seasons.
The 31-year-old Landry suggested that he remains ready for another NFL opportunity in a July 18 social media post. Sharing a post from FanDuel that said “People really forget how ELITE prime Jarvis Landry was” on X, the LSU product added the message “And Still ELITE.”
It’s unknown how Landry’s workout with the New York Jets went, but it will be interesting to see if they reach a deal with him in the coming days.
Back in May, Landry participated in the Jacksonville Jaguars rookie minicamp on a tryout basis.
