The Jets made moves this offseason in the hopes of correcting the mistakes of their past.
New York's hype in 2023 died the moment Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles in Week 1 and the Jets never recovered. General manager Joe Douglas attempted to remedy that issue by taking a hard look at the offense and revamping the areas of need. That meant finding new linemen, a new backup quarterback and adding skill position players at wide receiver and running back.
Those moves were received positively by NFL analysts. It's not hard to see why: The Jets signed, traded or drafted four new offensive line, brought in quarterback Tyrod Taylor to backup Rodgers and signed or drafted two wide receivers and two running backs. These are decisions a team makes when it has a 41-year-old quarterback under center and Super Bowl aspirations in the distance.
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Here's how the Jets' 2024 offseason moves were graded by three NFL analysts;:
Jets 2024 offseason moves get mostly positive reviews
The Sporting News' Vinnie, Pro Football Focus' Trevow Sikkema and Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox all gave the Jets at least a B-minus grade for their offseason moves.
All three came to the same conclusion, too: None of it will matter if Rodgers can't stay healthy. Rodgers knows this as well and even noted that if he doesn't play well, many heads will roll in New York. And if it fails, it'll leave a large mess for whoever will be there to clean it up in 2025.
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Here's what all three had to say about the Jets:
The Sporting News' Vinnie Iyer (B-):
The Jets will be much improved just by Aaron Rodgers being healthy for a full season and they also took fair shots at upgrading his weapons and pass protection. Robert Saleh gets to rest on mostly returning defensive pieces, with Reddick and Huff swapping teams.
Pro Football Focus' Trevor Sikkema (B):
Getting new life on the offensive line was priority No. 1 for the Jets. They acquired Tyron Smith, Morgan Moses and John Simpson, which, while older options, were needed moves.
The offseason wasn't without losses for the Jets, as they saw Bryce Huff, Quinton Jefferson and Jordan Whitehead sign elsewhere. Their draft additions of Olu Fashanu and Malachi Corley were big boosts to the roster in the right spots. All signals point to New York being a playoff team if the roster can stay healthy.
Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox (B+):
New York's 2024 campaign hinges on Rodgers getting and staying healthy. Therefore, improving the offensive line was the single biggest priority of the offseason. The Jets attacked the position group with gusto, adding Tyron Smith, Morgan Moses and John Simpson before the draft.
General manager Joe Douglas then used a first-round pick on Penn State's Olumuyiwa Fashanu, one of the top line prospects in the draft.
Adding Fashanu was smart. While Smith is a quality left tackle when healthy, the 33-year-old has struggled to stay on the field in recent years. The last thing the Jets can afford is to lose Rodgers to an injury because their left tackle is out with one.
The Jets made other interesting additions as well, like trading for pass-rusher Haason Reddick and adding Mike Williams, Malachi Corley and Braelon Allen to the offensive skill-position group.
Improving Rodgers' protection was critical, though. The Jets didn't ignore that, either.
