No team in the NFL has had more hype this offseason than the New York Jets. Most of that hype can be attributed to one man, Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers was traded to the Jets this past spring for multiple draft picks. It was a trade that changed the Jets expectations greatly going into this season. The Jets have young, talented stars on both sides of the ball that show promise for the future. Is the future now for this Jets team? Let’s break that down further and offer a record prediction for the 2023-2024 season.
The Good
Sauce Gardner was a generational talent coming out of the University of Cincinnati. He was a can’t-miss prospect who showed traits to be a lock-down corner in the NFL. The question wasn’t if Gardner would be an elite-level cornerback it was when. Most draft evaluators agreed that it would take Gardner a couple of years to get to that level. It took less than a year to realize that Gardner is one of the best cornerbacks in the league already. The former 4th overall pick was named Defensive Rookie of the Year along with making it to the All-Pro team. It’s one of the more impressive rookie seasons we have seen at that position.
Gardner and fellow cornerback D.J. Reed have quickly become one of the best corner duos in the NFL. The Jets defense in general was one of the best in the league in 2022. They were tied for the league lead in allowed yards per attempt last season. This defense will once again be the strength of this team as it looks to cement itself as one of the greats.
The Bad
When you bring in a superstar quarterback like Aaron Rodgers your number one goal should be to protect him. Rodgers will be 40 in December and doesn’t have the escapability he used to. I think we can all agree on this point which is why it’s perplexing that the Jets didn’t invest more in this offensive line. As it currently stands this o-line has major question marks, especially at the tackle position. Mekhi Becton will start at RT after missing all of last season and Duane Brown is an aging LT. It’s not a great setup and when Rodgers agreed to take a pay cut I thought they would use the money to sure up the OL.
The Prediction
This Jets team will be entertaining at the very least. If you watched Hard Knocks you can see how big an impact Aaron Rodgers has already had on this franchise. The problem is the offensive line will cause issues all season and Rodgers could quickly lose his patience. It will be fascinating to see how this plays out.
2023 Record: (8-9 3rd in the Division)
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