The New York Jets are hopeful that the 2024 NFL season will help them break several unfortunate streaks. They have not earned a spot in the NFL Playoffs since 2010 and have not won a Super Bowl since 1969. Last season started off so promising thanks to their highly eventful offseason but ended up being just another 7-10 disappointment.
This offseason, New York worked hard to revamp and improve their roster. They are taking some risks, hoping that some of their acquisitions return to form, such as wide receiver Mike Williams who missed 14 games last year with a torn ACL. However, they also added Tyron Smith to solidify the left tackle position and drafted exciting rookie running back Braelon Allen.
This all being said, the Jets’ chances of success in 2024 all hinge on one player: quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
The New York Jets Need Aaron Rodgers to Return to Form in 2024
The Jets originally acquired Rodgers in a trade with the Green Bay Packers prior to the 2023 NFL Draft. Adding the four-time NFL MVP and future Pro Football Hall of Famer gave the New York fanbase hope that their team would be successful for the first time in over a decade.
Unfortunately, the level of success that they expected was not achieved. Rodgers tore his Achilles in Week One and missed the rest of the season. New York struggled to a 7-10 record, clearly needing to improve its roster around Rodgers in order to field a team that could truly compete for a spot in the NFL Playoffs.
And while they did attempt to do that with the signings and draft picks mentioned earlier, they do need Rodgers to return to his old self, too.
In 2022, his final year with the Packers, Rodgers had a 64.6% completion percentage, 3,695 passing yards, 26 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and a 91.1 passer rating.
While these stats are not necessarily bad, they were certainly lower than his career average numbers. If the Jets are going to compete for a Super Bowl, they certainly need him to be better than he was in 2022 when he led the Packers to an 8-9 record.
One NFL Analyst Is Concerned About How Aaron Rodgers’ Mental Health Will Affect the New York Jets
In an article in which he discusses the biggest talking points for each team going into the 2024 NFL season, analyst Brad Gagnon does not question whether or not Rodgers can physically return to his old self. He is more concerned about the future Hall of Famer’s mental and emotional well-being:
“I appreciate that Robert Saleh thinks Aaron Rodgers is physically capable of returning to dominance, but that’s never really been my concern. I’m much more interested in what’s going on with Rodgers mentally and emotionally and how that could prevent him from getting the Jets back on track in 2024. I guess we’ll soon find out.”
It is certainly a talking-point worth discussing, but one would hope that the Jets would not put all their eggs in the Rodgers basket unless they were 100% certain he could handle all the interpersonal pressures that go with being the starting quarterback for one of the league’s most-followed franchises.
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