The ghost of Christmas past visited Jacksonville on Sunday afternoon and turned back the clock for New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers and wide receiver Davante Adams.
During the second half of New York’s skid-busting 32-25 victory over the Jaguars, Rodgers and Adams looked like the unstoppable duo that made them one of the NFL’s best tandems during the previous decade with the Green Bay Packers.
The two connected nine times for 198 yards and two touchdowns, including a 71-yard score to give the Jets a three-point lead with 3:24 left in the game and a 41-yard connection two minutes later that set up Breece Hall’s game-winning one-yard touchdown.
“It was one of those days [it felt like old times],” Adams said. “In the second half, it definitely felt very, very similar to the way we used to get it rolling.”
The 31-year-old Adams, who was acquired from the Las Vegas Raiders in October, looks fully fluent within the Jets’ offense — something he had to accomplish on the fly, basically. Just one week earlier, in an overtime loss to the Miami Dolphins, Adams also posted nine catches for 109 yards and a score.
This is what the Jets’ offense was supposed to look like with Rodgers, the future Hall-of-Famer under center, and the All-Pro Adams providing outside support alongside young star receiver Garrett Wilson.
Sunday in Jacksonville was the first time this season that the Jets hit the 30-point mark in a game, perhaps suggesting that things are finally clicking.
The problem is that the Jets’ season is already over. At 4-10, they were eliminated from playoff contention and have completely cleaned house by firing head coach Robert Saleh and general Joe Douglas.
At 41 years old, Rodgers’ future is uncertain, especially with a new GM set to enter the picture in the coming months and a potential top-10 pick that could be used on bringing in a new quarterback.
Rodgers has said that if he plays in 2025, he wants it to be with the Jets, and the previous two weeks certainly helped his case in staying. He threw for 339 yards with a touchdown in Miami before a 289-yard, three-touchdown showing against the Jaguars.
It is important to note that Sunday’s performance came against the worst defense in the NFL.
Still, the Rodgers/Adams partnership is clicking, and perhaps a full season of that in 2025 could take Gang Green’s offense to a new level. But it all feels as though the existence of this duo is a package deal.
Adams has two years left on his contract and forced his way out of Las Vegas to the Jets to team up with Rodgers. Bringing in another quarterback could see the veteran receiver sour to New York and try to find a way out.
Even if the Jets do keep Rodgers, Adams has two years left on his contract and is due $35 million in each of them. That is an exorbitant bill to foot, considering the franchise faces significant changes. Therefore, a reworked deal might be the only way they could keep him at MetLife Stadium.
