NJ’S FLORHAM PARK — During the New York Jets’ last three practices of the season, they were made to consider the possibilities. as well as what may be.
For teams who aren’t in the running for the playoffs, late-season workouts may be tedious, but they livened it up by having Aaron Rodgers lead the way and adding a “competition” portion to each day. The Jets kept it quiet—practices were off-limits to the media—but news quickly got out as players were talking about what they had witnessed from Rodgers.
Rodgers had only been able to run the plays of the opposition as part of the scout team up until that point, but the coaches opted to allow him take the field because of his excellent movement after having his Achilles repaired surgically. There were no coaches there; it was just Aaron Rodgers calling plays for the offense and linebacker C.J. Mosley calling plays for the defense. It was first-team offense versus first-team defense.
Mekhi Becton remarked, “It’s like watching Picasso paint,” following one of the workouts.
Everyone was taken back in time to a more joyous period. During Rodgers’ healthy left Achilles early in training camp, the Jets practiced with competitive periods a couple of times, among their full Super Bowl hopes. They sought to replicate that intensity before everyone dispersed for the winter since best-on-best always elevates the energy level.
According to everyone, Rodgers was incredible.
“At some points, he was picking us apart and throwing dimes in there,” Mosley stated. “You kind of catch yourself, looking at it again, like, ‘Dang, that’s Aaron Rodgers throwing the ball.'”
The surprise at the conclusion of the year caused mixed feelings. There was a tinge of sadness as the players saw what was stolen from them in 2023—a quarterback who would go on to become a Hall of Famer and inspire the squad. The Jets went 7-10 without Rodgers, starting four different quarterbacks, ranking 31st in total yards, and losing all three of their remaining postseason games.
For the most part, they viewed the final three sessions as a sort of Rodgers trailer for 2024, something to help people forget about the disappointing season and find hope for the next one. While acknowledging that there was enthusiasm, Rodgers also added, “The ‘what if?’ kind of hits you in the face pretty hard because, obviously, if you saw what we were able to do, there’s a lot of what could have been.”
Using a wristband that had six to eight different plays per day, Rodgers dominated the red zone on Friday, Thursday, and Wednesday (mixed downs). Players claimed that Rodgers was calling plays that weren’t in the script, tossing the ball around the field, pointing out potential blitzers, and seemed to be attempting to make up for lost time since he was so into it. Not many quarterbacks challenge Sauce Gardner, but he did, and he stunned the All-Pro cornerback with a back-shoulder pass.
Being Rodgers, he was unable to resist a boast.
He smiled and remarked, “I proved I can maybe still play a little bit.”
Seventeen of the thirty-two clubs are searching for a new head coach, but the Jets, who have the fourth-worst record in the NFL after three seasons (18–33), are sticking with Robert Saleh because the team’s ownership thinks the system it established with Aaron Rodgers last year will still be successful. In fact, hope has been stoked by his expected comeback. Perhaps “refueled” would be a more appropriate term.
“Compared to how far away it appears now, it’s actually not that far,” general manager Joe Douglas stated.
The Jets are counting on Rodgers to make a full recovery and perform at a level closer to his 2021 MVP season (74.1 QBR) than to his 2022 Green Bay farewell (a career-low 41.3 QBR). That’s a big ask, considering his age (40) and the severity of his injury, but they believe the commitment is there.
“He’s on a mission,” Saleh said, “and he’s not going to stop until his mission is complete.”
Rodgers isn’t a magician, though. As he said, “We need some pieces.”
Specifically, he mentioned wide receiver and the offensive line, where they could add two or three new starters. The Jets allowed 64 sacks (tied-28th), including league highs at center (8.5), right tackle (14) and left guard (9.5, tied for the most), according to Next Gen Stats.
A quadragenarian quarterback behind a leaky offensive line is bad news waiting to happen. And yet there’s a sense in the locker room that Rodgers will make everything better, that his experience and expertise will elevate those around him. They still believe in his leadership; his teammates voted him the Dennis Byrd Award for the most inspirational player, moving him to the verge of tears when it was announced.
Center Connor McGovern stated, “I do think Aaron is going to come back and make some big changes to the team, for lack of a better explanation.” It was designed with him in mind. It is a customized offense for him.”
In a radio interview, wide receiver Garrett Wilson went one step farther and declared, “Aaron is the offense.”
In fact, some refer to Aaron Rodgers—rather than Nathaniel Hackett—as the offensive coordinator. Rodgers’ value to the offense was compared by McGovern to a Red Bull racing vehicle driven by a driver other than world champion Max Verstappen, using a Formula One racing comparison. According to McGovern, the vehicle, which was modified for Verstappen, isn’t as quick when someone else is driving.
With Rodgers behind center, the Jets have a “fixer” — or at least that’s how he’s viewed internally. Without the use of pre-snap motion, he can take a still photo of the defense with his mind’s eye, diagnose potential issues and make adjustments before the snap.
OTAs to training camp, the Jets spent five months getting ready in this manner. Given that Rodgers, with his intricate hand gestures and rhythms, required so much time to configure the offense to his favor, it was a race against the clock.
The all-in strategy brought to mind a well-known statement made by former offensive coordinator of the Indianapolis Colts, Tom Moore. When asked about why Peyton Manning’s backups didn’t receive more playing time, Moore said, “Fellas, we’re f—-d if 18 goes down.” Additionally, we don’t do f—-d.”
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