What Went Wrong for the New York Jets?

The New York Jets are set to miss the playoffs for the fourteenth consecutive year. That’s six seasons more than the second-longest active playoff drought, held by both the Broncos and Panthers. With Aaron Rodgers healthy and an influx of veteran talent, this Jets’ team was expected to make the playoffs, at the very least. Some even regarded New York as Super Bowl contenders. Instead, they’ve won just four games through the first fifteen weeks of the season. Both head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas have been fired. The entire organization is in a state of disaster. So, what went wrong for the New York Jets?

Aaron Rodgers is Part of the Problem

When the Jets traded for Rodgers back in 2023, he was not too far removed from the peak of his career. He had won back-to-back MVPs in 2020 and 2021. Sure, he had seen a dip in production in 2022, but it was easy to imagine that Rodgers could return to form in New York. The Jets were set to become contenders with Rodgers at the helm.

Then, disaster struck. Just four snaps into the 2023 regular season, Rodgers tore his Achilles’ tendon, sidelining him for the remainder of the year. This devastating injury not only wasted the Jets’ 2023 season, but it robbed New York of the chance to see what they had in Rodgers at this stage of his career. Without that knowledge, they poured all of their resources into surrounding Rodgers with as much veteran talent as possible. The Jets acquired quality starters like Morgan Moses, Tyron Smith, and Mike Williams. Rodgers and the Jets were seemingly set up for success.

In his first full season in New York, Rodgers has been far from the MVP candidate that New York thought he would be. Rodgers is near league average in most statistical categories. He currently ranks 17th among starting quarterbacks in EPA (Expected Points Added) per play. He’s 20th in quarterback rating. These numbers aren’t great, but they’re not enough to tank a season. The problem is more that New York has built their offense completely around the desires of an average NFL quarterback. Though Rodgers isn’t the worst quarterback in the league, his current level of play doesn’t warrant the absolute autonomy he’s been given in the Jets’ offense. Moves like hiring Nathaniel Hackett and trading for Davante Adams are inexplicable based on the current state of Aaron Rodgers.

The Jets’ Defense is No Longer a Strength

The Jets’ defense allowed just under 21 points per game in 2023. Since defensive-minded head coach Robert Saleh’s firing in October, the Jets have allowed almost 27 points per game. In 2023, despite complete incompetence on offense, New York was able to scrape together seven wins behind an elite defense. Opponents were unable to score consistently against the Jets, so no game was ever out of reach. New York was able to win ugly games with scores like 13-10 and 20-13. Without an elite unit on either side of the ball, the Jets have struggled to find an identity in 2024. There is no consistent avenue to victory for this team.

What’s Next for Rodgers and the Jets?

In all likelihood, this is the last season that Aaron Rodgers will be a starting quarterback in the NFL. New York can cut Rodgers without incurring any significant cap penalty moving forward. Rodgers has stated that he’s open to taking on a sort of mentorship role if New York were to draft a rookie QB, but it seems unlikely that the Jets would keep Rodgers around. It’s time for yet another full reset in New York. This team has talented young stars on both sides of the ball, including Quinnen Williams, Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson, and Breece Hall. This should be an attractive job for prospective head coaches. New York will need to nail both their next coaching hire and their next selection at quarterback to return to relevance.

For more from Michael Haney, check out The Football Ranker