The Jets aren't a young team. At least, not at some of the most important positions on the field.
They Aaron Rodgers, a 41-year-old quarterback coming off a torn Achilles. Two 33-year-old offensive tackles in Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses. A 31-year-old middle linebacker in C.J. Mosley. A 29-year-old edge rusher in Haason Reddick and a 29-year-old wide receiver in Mike Williams. All six players will play key roles in the Jets' success or failure in 2024.
But the Jets' youthful core is almost among the best in the NFL. Two of their youngest players cracked Pro Football Focus' "Top 25 players under 25" list heading into this season. Both were drafted in 2022 and won NFL Rookie of the Year that season.
Cornerback Sauce Gardner took the No. 2 spot behind Lions tackle Penei Sewell, while wide receiver Garrett Wilson ranked ninth on the list.
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Gardner established himself as an elite defensive back quickly in his career and is already considered one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. Not only did Gardner win DROY, but he also made the Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro as a rookie. He repeated those accolades (minus ROY) in 2023. He's also wracked up 32 total tackles, 32 pass deflections and two interceptions in his two seasons.
"Gardner, 23, already has a case as the best cornerback in the NFL," PFF's Zoltán Buday wrote. "His 91.2 PFF overall grade over the past two seasons leads all players at the position, while his 2,163 regular-season snaps rank third among cornerbacks. Gardner's 0.52 receiving yards allowed per coverage snap figure not only leads the position, but the gap between him and second place is the same size as the gap between second and 15th."
Wilson, meanwhile, was the second wide receiver named on this list behind the Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase. Despite inconsistent and overall frustrating quarterback play, Wilson finished each of his first two seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards. He's also caught seven total touchdowns on 178 career receptions.
"Wilson had a quieter Year 2 in which he earned a lower PFF grade than in his rookie campaign, but the Jets' quarterback situation after Aaron Rodgers‘ early season-ending injury didn't help matters," Buday wrote. "Still, Wilson ranks 19th among wide receivers over the past two seasons in PFF overall grade (81.3)."
One player who didn't make this list was running back Breece Hall. Only two running back (2023 first-rounders Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs) did. Hall, 22, was the Jets second-round pick in 2022 and proved to be an excellent choice by the Jets, as Hall finished the 2023 season with 1.585 all-purpose yards and nine total touchdowns a year after he had 681 yards and five touchdowns in only seven games. He should once again be a focal point of the offense in 2024.
This is a Jets team with Super Bowl aspirations. A combination of veteran and young stars should help in that effort.