Our 2023 NFL Preview stays in the Big Apple, where the Jets are making more noise than any team in the league. After missing the playoffs for the TWELFTH consecutive season, New York rocked the NFL landscape this summer with the acquisition of (four-time MVP) Aaron Rodgers, whose lengthy exit from Green Bay finally came to pass. Even at this stage of his career, Rodgers remains head and shoulders above anything that Gang Green has started at Quarterback over the past two decades and will be expected to propel this team into Super Bowl contention. However, will the offense live up to lofty expectations? What does Roders have left in the tank? Is the defense ready to become elite? Let’s take a stroll through MetLife Stadium for a look into all things Jets, shall we?
Mr. Rodgers Neighborhood
After over a year of rumblings and perceived discontent, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers finally parted ways earlier this summer, with the decorated Quarterback making the move to his preferred destination, the Jets, with an eye on maximizing what for all intents and purposes should be the twilight of his career. Needless to say, there have been very few at his position more successful than the 39-year-old, who over the course of eighteen seasons (fifteen as the starter) in Green Bay posted a record of 147-75-1 (.659), including eleven trips to the playoffs, eight division titles, an NFC Championship (2010) and Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl XLV. From an individual standpoint, he has completed an average of 65.3% of his passes over his career for 256.8 yards per game on 6.77 net yards per attempt with an insane 475 touchdowns in comparison to just 105 interceptions, while compiling thirty-one game-winning drives, twenty-one of which were fourth quarter comebacks. He has also been selected to ten Pro-Bowls and four All-Pro teams, while taking home a quartet of MVP trophies as well as Super Bowl MVP honors in 2011. Simply put, his CV blows away that of any Quarterback that the Jets have fielded over the last forty years. To put his arrival into proper perspective, New York hasn’t had a QB reach 4,000 passing yards since Joe Namath did it back in 1978 and have had just one in their franchise history eclipse thirty passing touchdowns (Ryan Fitzpatrick in 2015). For those wondering, Rodgers (pictured above) has totaled at least 4,000 passing yards on ten occasions, while throwing thirty or more scores eight times. Credit to (Head Coach) Robert Saleh and (General Manager) Joe Douglas for going out of their way to make his transition to the Meadowlands as seamless as possible, hiring (former Broncos Head Coach) Nathaniel Hackett as their new Offensive Coordinator, while adding a number of Rodgers’ former teammates, including (Receivers) Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb, who have caught a combined 305 passes for 4,223 yards and thirty-eight touchdowns from him. Of the additions, Hackett is the most intriguing, for apart from his ill-fated tenure in Denver, he made beautiful music with Rodgers for three seasons as his OC in East Wisconsin. Rodgers has repeatedly heaped praise upon the 43-year-old for their time together in Green Bay, often citing his experience working with him as a major reason he was able to return to MVP form in 2020 and 2021. Furthermore, the outspoken Quarterback has recently defended Hackett in the media, after the playcaller was criticized by his successor in Denver, Sean Payton, plainly stating “keep my coach’s name out of your mouth” during a Jets practice. It sounds like Rodgers is motivated after a messy ending to his reign in Green Bay, which could mean BIG things for Gang Green this Fall…
Jet Fuel
When adding a highly decorated, 39-year-old Quarterback to the roster, you had better make sure that you have a supporting cast that will maximize what he has left. After all, importing a coach and system that he is familiar with is one thing, possessing the requisite personnel to execute it is another matter entirely. Fortunately, Saleh and Douglas have done a tremendous job of identifying and developing talent over the last few seasons, which should make this a mutually beneficial marriage between Rodgers and the offense as a whole. If there is one thing that the Jets have NOT been synonymous with, it is being a prolific offensive team; New York has ranked no better than eleventh in scoring on just THREE occasions over the last thirty-five years, while finishing within the NFL’s top-ten in total offense four times since 1988. It has been particularly dreadful of late, with no better than a twenty-third finish in scoring and twenty-fifth in total yards over the last seven years of mediocrity. Last season was difficult to say the least, as Gang Green averaged just 17.4 points per game (29th Overall) on 336.7 total yards (25th Overall), while consistently struggling from a situational perspective, converting a dismal 34.6% of their third downs and ranking next-to-last in red zone efficiency at 43.5%. With that being said, there is talent for Rodgers to work with here, for apart from the additions of the aforementioned Lazard and Cobb, (2022 tenth overall pick) Garrett Wilson (pictured above) made plays no matter who was throwing him the football. The Ohio State product did not disappoint, reeling in eighty-three receptions for 1,103 yards and four touchdowns, while (fellow Rookie) Breece Hall quickly established himself as a versatile weapon out of the Backfield, amassing 681 yards from scrimmage and five scores before tearing his ACL in week seven. Saleh and Douglas added more speed to the attack in the form of (former Chiefs Receiver) Mecole Hardman, who also figures to make an impact in the return game, while the club has recently signed (former Vikings Tailback) Dalvin Cook, who had been linked with the franchise weeks. A four-time Pro-Bowler, Cook has rushed for no fewer than 1,135 yards in each of the last four seasons, bringing some serious firepower to a ground game that was lacking last season, churning out just 99.2 yards per game (25th Overall) on 4.2 yards per carry (24th Overall). However, for this unit to truly take flight, the Offensive Line MUST become a healthy, cohesive group, which simply hasn’t been the case of late. (Veteran Guard) Laken Tomlinson was a solid addition via free agency last year, while the incoming Billy Turner offers some assurances, and though Saleh and Douglas added (Wisconsin product) Joe Tippmann in the second round of last April’s Draft, there is great concern over the flanks. At 38-years old, (Veteran Tackle) Duane Brown’s best days are well behind him as he enters Training Camp on the PUP List, while (2020 eleventh overall pick) Mekhi Becton has missed virtually all of the last two seasons to knee injuries. Reports out of Jets camp insist that the mammoth 6′-7″, 363-pounder is in the best shape of his life, though is not expected to start by week one. With competition breaking out at Tackle and Center, this is likely to be the area that will either lift or sink Gang Green this Fall…
Gang @#$%^&* Green
With all the talk about the additions on offense, we’ll forgive you for forgetting about the defensive side of the football, which is where the Jets shined last season. Simply put, the only reason that this team had any business winning seven games last year was due to their defense, which was among the NFL’s best despite receiving no favors from their cohorts on offense. Saleh got this job two years ago on the strength of his tenure in coordinating the 49ers’ vaunted defense, and in his time in the Big Apple has quickly put together a fearsome unit. In 2022, New York ranked fourth overall in both points allowed (18.6) and total defense (311.0), while finishing third against the pass (189.4), second in net yards per attempt permitted (5.4), and first in passing touchdowns yielded (15). Furthermore, they ended the campaign eleventh on third down (38.1%) and fourth in red zone defensive efficiency (47.8%). From the looks of things, there is plenty of reason to believe that this group can get even better, for in addition to residing on the younger end of the spectrum, this unit only forced sixteen turnovers, fourth fewest in the league. If the offense makes the strides that it is expected to make after the addition of Rodgers, then (Defensive Coordinator) Jeff Ulbrich’s troops should see more opportunities to make plays, as their opponents won’t be able to spend most of the second halves of games pummeling them via the run. Three of their number were selected to the Pro-Bowl, including (veteran Linebacker) C.J. Mosley, who led the team with 158 tackles, five for loss, a sack, an interception, and seven deflected passes. However, the two most prominent standouts were All-Pros, Quinnen Williams and Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner (pictured together above). Picked third overall in 2019, Williams put it altogether in his fourth season with the Jets, amassing fifty-five tackles, twelve for loss, twenty-eight QB hits, thirty-one pressures, twelve sacks, and a pair of forced fumbles. Saleh and Douglas rewarded the Defensive Tackle with a record-breaking, four-year contract extension worth $96 million, including $66 million in total guarantees, making him the second-highest paid player at this position via the richest deal in franchise history. As for Gardner, the brash Cornerback immediately endeared himself to the fanbase with two interceptions and a league-best TWENTY passes defended as opposing Quarterbacks tested him less and less as the season dragged on. The 22-year-old was voted Defensive Rookie of the Year by a wide margin, joining the aforementioned Wilson as only the third pair of teammates to win both awards in the same season since 1967. Joining these stars is (2023 fifteenth overall pick) Will McDonald, with the Iowa State product expected to make an impact in a rotation along with one of the club’s three first-rounders from last season, (Defensive End) Jermaine Johnson II, who logged 2.5 sacks, six pressures and a safety in fourteen games as a rookie (no starts). If there are any question marks to be had about this group, it is the Safety position, where (veteran) Chuck Clark will miss his first season since coming over from Baltimore via free agency due to a torn ACL, with Saleh and Douglas importing another veteran, Adrian Amos, to fill the void on the back end.
Projected Finish: 10-7
If there has been one team that has dominated the offseason thus far, it has been unquestionably the Jets, who are facing rising expectations this Fall. With the addition of Rodgers, coupled with a completely renovated attack littered with playmakers at all positions, buoyed by a defense that is knocking on the door of elite status, New York looks like a team to be reckoned with. Hell, the NFL itself has done everything within their power to tell us that that is precisely the case. Who opens the preseason with the Hall of Fame Game? The Jets. Who is appearing on HBO’s latest edition of Hard Knocks? The Jets. Who is featured in the opening week of Monday Night Football? The Jets. And who has the most primetime games before they start flexing them later in the season? The J-E-T-S. Yes, the AFC is a treacherous landscape, and the AFC East looks to be particularly perilous, but it is hard to envision this team, as presently constructed, not competing in the playoffs come January, and if they can sort out that Offensive Line, then they could very well find themselves challenging the AFC’s elite for a ticket to Super Bowl LVIII.
