The Jets enter a critical point in their franchise's history in 2024.
New York will start a 40-year-old quarterback coming off a torn Achilles under center and the team made huge swings at important positions across the roster. The Jets added two good, albeit injury-prone players in left tackle Tyron Smith and wide receiver Mike Williams and got older in free agency with their other big moves — such as the trades for right tackle Morgan Moses and edge rusher Haason Reddick.
As one NFL executive put it to Mike Sando of The Athletic, the Jets' decisions are "going to leave a large mess if it doesn’t work but it’ll be someone else’s job to clean it up.”
The implication here is that neither general manager Joe Douglas nor head coach Robert Saleh would likely be back in 2025 if the Jets fail to make the playoffs for a 14th consecutive season. New York already owns the longest postseason drought among the four major U.S. sports, so another year without a playoff appearance would almost assuredly seal Douglas and Saleh's fate.
“If this is your last chance to get it right, don’t half-step,” the executive added. “But to say they are incurring risk is beyond an understatement.”
That's why the Jets have to be all-in in 2024 and why New York spent lavishly on short-term solutions without a thought for the long-term implications. Rodgers isn't getting any younger, and the talented core of cornerback Sauce Gardner, running back Breece Hall and wide receiver Garrett Wilson won't be on rookie deals forever. The time to make championship-contending moves is now.
“It’s almost comical, but if the quarterback plays, he plays almost instantly at a top-tier level," another executive told Sando, "and they become a playoff threat immediately even without a plan."
Jets are doubling down in 2024
The biggest issue overall, though, is the insane gamble the Jets are placing for the second consecutive season on Rodgers. Giving up assets for Rodgers in 2023 was big enough — although mitigated when he took a massive pay cut — but the pressure is heightened even more now.
Rodgers' disastrous injury dashed all hope in 2023 despite a talented roster. But his absence also revealed serious flaws across the team. The offensive line and wide receiver depth were the biggest concerns and also the areas Douglas and company looked to correct as quickly as possible this offseason.
Smith has been one of the tackles in the NFL during his career. He's also missed 37 games since 2020. Williams is one of the best contested-catch and deep-play wideouts in the league. He's also never played a full slate of regular-season games. Moses and Reddick — the other two high-profile acquisitions — will be in their 30s when the 2024 season begins.
The next big moment for New York is the 2024 draft. The Jets have the No. 10 pick, and could either bring in a player who can help them immediately this year (like a pass-catcher) or find someone with more long-term support (at offensive line or another position). New York could also trade back, which could also mean another short-term move is in play.
