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The long-awaited return for Jets fans is finally here. The 40-year-old veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers is set to be the starter once again for the young Jets squad. Last offseason, The Jets made a huge move in acquiring their assumed franchise quarterback, trading away a 2023 first, second, and sixth round pick along with a 2024 second round pick. They traded away a lot of future potential and value, but The Jets had a clear cut goal in mind with the signing of the experienced quarterback. Prior to the beginning of last season, there was an insurmountable level of hype surrounding this new Jets’ offense.
Many fans were also eager to witness a new duo in town – Rodgers and Garrett Wilson, a wide receiver drafted by the Jets with a first round draft pick in 2022. The team showed much promise with Rodgers at the helm, a quarterback that The Jets had been looking for for years. However, this glory was very short lived when Rodgers suffered a season-ending Achilles injury just four plays into the game. With what was possibly the absolute worst case scenario for this Jets team, it’s hard not to think about what this season could have been, had Rodgers not gotten injured. Young quarterback Zach Wilson took over for the majority of the season and although he did not play horribly, it was a significant downgrade from what most Jets fans were expecting this season. Wilson is not the typical candidate that you would want as your starting quarterback, as he was ranked 51st out of all 66 Quarterbacks in the league and The Jets’ offense was ranked second to last because of how he performed. They were, however, able to scavenge seven wins and only 10 losses, mostly due to their second year star running back, Breece Hall. Although Hall tore his ACL last season in Week 7 of the regular season, he was able to play during the beginning of the season on limited touches and played even better once he was fully healed later in the season. It typically takes a running back around a season to get back up to speed on the field, so if he was able to do all that in just his second year, there’s no doubt that Hall will exceed expectations next year, especially with a new and improved Jets team and Rodgers at the helm. With him supporting Rodgers in the backfield, the Jets offense could get to where they want to be.
The cause of Rodger’s injury last year was mainly due to the fact that The Jets had pretty much no offensive line. Hence, in this year’s 2024 NFL draft, The Jets took offensive tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu from Penn State to improve in that aspect. During his senior year, Fashanu was named the Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year. The Jets also signed 29-year-old superstar receiver Mike Williams to complement Garett Wilson on the passing side of things. Although Williams has had a lot of trouble staying healthy in the past, he has still managed to put up nearly 5,000 yards in less than 90 games played. He will definitely be an X-factor in The Jets’ offense this year if he is able to stay on the field. On the other side of the field, The Jets’ defense was one of the best in the league last year. Led by superstar cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardener and first-team All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, The Jets were ranked as the third best defensive team in the league. It’s safe to say that although The Jets have faced many setbacks, especially in this most recent season, their future looks promising and they have some serious playoff hopes in this upcoming season.
