IT'S BOOM OR BUST FOR THE JETS IN 2024
By Andy Davies
What a difference a year makes for the New York Jets.
The Jets are once again one of the most intriguing teams in the NFL going into the 2024 season, but the hype is nowhere near the same level as it was twelve months ago.
Sometimes it is the hope that kills you, and many Jets fans will not want to get their hopes up once more. They were the most talked about team in the 2023 offseason after the offseason addition of four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers.
However, their season was essentially over when Rodgers went down with a season ending injury after just four snaps in their Week 1 win over the Buffalo Bills.
Brought in to fix their biggest area of need, Rodgers’ absence set them back twelve months as the fanbase was once again subjected to Zach Wilson under centre.
With Rodgers not getting any younger, this is potentially his last season in the NFL. Here is why it is boom or bust for the Jets in 2024.
Rodgers’ importance to the Jets
The Jets’ season once again hangs in the Rodgers balance.
How often do teams win Super Bowls, or even playoff games without a great signal caller? Not very often.
The most used answer to this question is Trent Dilfer, who won a Super Bowl in the 2000 season thanks to a great Baltimore Ravens defense.
Nick Foles and Joe Flacco were average quarterbacks at best during their NFL career, but both had “linsanity” runs in their respective 2012 and 2017 Super Bowl winning campaigns.
However, in today’s game where the league is so heavily passing orientated, you have to have great to elite quarterbacks at your disposal if you want to win a Super Bowl.
Whether this be the Tom Brady led New England Patriots, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs or Matthew Stafford’s Los Angeles Rams, this is what you need if you want to go on to lift that Lombardi Trophy. After all, the Rams got Stafford to replace Jared Goff and the Buccaneers got Brady to replace Jameis Winston. Both teams won a Super Bowl at their first time of asking with these two replacements.
This was the main takeaway from both Super Bowl losses against the Chiefs for the San Francisco 49ers. It is seen by many that they would have won both games with an elite QB, whether this was Jimmy Garoppolo in Super Bowl 54, or Brock Purdy just a few months ago.
The Jets have had two straight 7-10 seasons. This has been with an offense that features weapons such as Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall, and a defense that allowed the third fewest yards per game in 2023 and the fourth fewest in 2022. This is a team waiting in the wings to make a Super Bowl push.
If Rodgers is healthy, then even him at 50% is better than any of the quarterbacks the franchise has had to see under centre these past two to three seasons.
Boom or Bust for Robert Saleh
It is not just boom or bust for the Jets players, but also the coaching staff.
Robert Saleh was announced as Jets head coach in 2021, but so far has a record of 18-33. The average lifespan of an NFL head coach with one team is three years or less, but Saleh has always had a get out clause to the naysayers.
He has always had the excuse of poor quarterback play, and with Rodgers’ injury in 2023, he always has a “but” around his poor record as an NFL head coach. Should Rodgers stay healthy in 2024 and struggle, then Saleh may not have a leg to stand on.
NFL owners are often looking to quickly change head coach if things are not going well. This is defined by the fact that in 2020, just four years ago, only ten of the 32 head coaches are still with the same team in the same role. Saleh may feel himself on a hot seat should the team start 4-6 or 3-8.
The Jets have gone all out to try and at least compete. They are desperate to end their record of the longest playoff appearance absence. They will never be bad enough to have a high draft pick with their aforementioned offensive weapons and elite defense.
This is the season that they have to go all in. Otherwise, it could be another 20 years of pain for Jets fans.
Feature Image Credit: AP News
ANDY DAVIES
NFL ANALYST
ANDY IS A SPORTS JOURNALISM GRADUATE WITH OVER FOUR YEARS EXPERIENCE OF NFL WRITING AND PODCASTING. ANDY IS THE HOST OF THE ACROSS THE POD, FINS NATION UK AND EURO TRIPZ PODCASTS AND HAS PRESS PASS EXPERIENCE AT THE LONDON GAMES AND MANY OTHER NFL BASED EVENTS, HAVING INTERVIEWED THE LIKES OF JASON BELL, OSI UMENYIORA, DOUG PEDERSON, DERRICK HENRY, TREVOR LAWRENCE AND MIKE VRABEL.