One step forward, ten steps back. The “same old Jets” were back on Sunday.
After an inspiring Halloween victory over the Houston Texans, Gang Green quickly let any momentum evaporate on Nov. 10 against Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals. The 31-6 loss marked their most overwhelming this season, and the Jets fewest points in any game this campaign.
With the chances of the playoffs becoming slimmer and slimmer, here are three takeaways from the Jets loss to Arizona.
1: The Aaron Rodgers Era is a failure
On April 25, 2023, the New York Jets made a trade that many believed would alter the trajectory of their franchise forever, when they acquired future hall of famer Aaron Rodgers. For a Jets team that has long been searching for their franchise quarterback, the Jets went out and got exactly what they had hoped for and more. That was until he tore his achilles four plays into the 2023 season.
With a year of rehab, one of the best defenses in the NFL, and a plethora of weapons, the Jets looked primed to compete for a championship, it all came crashing down.
Head coach Robert Saleh was fired midway through the 2024 season, the defense regressed heavily, and despite offensive weapons such as Breece Hall, Garrett Wilson and recently acquired Devante Adams, nothing could light the spark the Jets have long been hunting for.
At the beginning of the season, Rodgers looked to be the missing piece in a Super Bowl-caliber team. Just two months later, the Jets and their fans are struggling to find out what went wrong.
The Aaron Rodgers Jets era looks to be a short-lived failure, and the jury remains out as to what possibly went wrong.
2: The Jets could very well be quarterback-hunting in the draft.
For Jets fans, this is likely a scary sentence to read. But in reality, this could very well be the case.
Rodgers is in the midst of one of the worst starts to a season in his career. Through 10 games, Rodgers has thrown for 2,258 yards with 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions. In 2022, Rodgers last full season, he threw for a very similar 2,315 yards with 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
However, the key difference is that Rodgers is two years older, and one Achilles tear past his 2022 self.
While Rodgers is turning 41 in a month, he does have one more year on his contract, and there is no indication that he has any plans of retiring. The Jets drafting a quarterback doesn’t mean that Rodgers won’t start next season, it could mean that the rookie sits behind Rodgers for a season to learn from him.
The last quarterback to do that? Jordan Love in Green Bay, who has quickly translated his time learning behind Rodgers into NFL success.
Of course, the Jets have not been particularly adept at developing young quarterbacks. Ask Sam Darnold or Zach Wilson.
3: The Jets need to search long and hard for their next coach
Entering the season with question marks surrounding their head coach was the worst thing the Jets could’ve done entering the 2024 season. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what the Jets did when they entered the season with Robert Saleh. Saleh entered the season carrying an 18-33 record as Jets head coach, and was fired just five games into the season.
A coaching change is normally made to light a spark under an underperforming team, but the change ended up doing the exact opposite for the Jets. Saleh was replaced by long-time defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, who subsequently lost four of his first five games in charge of the Jets and looks to have lost all chances of being hired as the full-time head coach this offseason.
The Jets need to look long and hard for their next head coach in what will likely be their final chance in resurrecting any possible success out of this talented roster.
Look no further than the Los Angeles Chargers to see the impact a coaching change could have. After finishing the 2023 season 5-12, the Chargers brought in Jim Harbaugh, fresh off a national championship with Michigan, who has already won six games with a largely similar roster. A good coaching hire could be the last gasp of a Jets team on life support.
