Former Jets post-Week 8 check-in: Aaron Rodgers might be winning but fans shouldn't miss him

The New York Jets have gotten off to the 2026 season to the tune of a 2-6 record, and quite frankly, the vibes are about as low as they've been in the Aaron Glenn era. It's hard not to see that the season is virtually over at this point.

It feels like the schedule makers gave the Jets a path to get to 4-4 before the schedule really gets tough, with back-to-back winnable games against the Miami Dolphins and Las Vegas Raiders. Instead, they were gut-wrenching losses.

But it's only human to take a look around the league and wonder where the Jets would be right now, with some old team members still in the mix. Can fans take solace in a "hate-watch" for some familiar face?

Former New York Jets check-in after Week 8 games

Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers

As frustrating as it may be for Jets fans to see their old quarterback improve to 6-2 on the season, we can definitively say Aaron Rodgers is not the main reason why the Pittsburgh Steelers are in first place in the AFC North. He's playing well, but it's below league average.

Fans should be more than pleased with the quarterback play they're currently receiving from Geno Smith. No, they would not be better off if they still had Rodgers; it was, and still always will be, the correct decision to part ways with him the way they did early in 2025.

Robert Saleh, Tennessee Titans

Don't look now, but the Tennessee Titans are starting to look a little more competent. Robert Saleh did the Jets a favor in Week 6 by beating the Indianapolis Colts on the road to give his old team a better draft pick, and his team has been playing better in recent weeks.

In Week 8, Saleh's Titans went toe-to-toe with Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals (sound familiar?), and Cam Ward had easily the best game of his young career. After some early chatter that his job was in jeopardy after one season, Saleh will almost assuredly get another season in Nashville if they keep playing like this.

Jermaine Johnson, Tennessee Titans

Any Jets fan who thought the Jermaine Johnson-T'Vondre Sweat trade was a losing deal for the Jets has been sorely proven wrong at this point in 2026. Yes, Sweat is hurt right now, but he's without question been New York's best defensive tackle and one of the league's best run-stuffers.

Johnson, on the other hand, is a middle-of-the-pack edge rusher staring down the barrel of an impending free agency with more questions than answers. His Pro Football Focus pass rush grade of 53.5 ranks 102nd among 111 qualified players.

Sauce Gardner, Indianapolis Colts

It's hard not to feel bad for Sauce Gardner. He gets a bad rap because of the blockbuster trade that just recently cost Colts general manager Chris Ballard his job. But it's not his fault that Indianapolis decided to mortgage their future for a guy who is only good as a coverage cornerback.

Gardner is having a down year, but the downfall of the Colts is not his fault. If anything, Jets fans should be incredibly thankful for the package they got back in the deal just over a year ago; it could be what they finally need to set them on the right track.

Quinnen Williams, Dallas Cowboys

Williams, one of the best Jets of the modern era, got off to a bit of a slow start in 2026, but has recently come on strong for the Dallas Cowboys. Despite escaping from New York, it's felt like the Jets' losing ways have followed Williams to Dallas.

Despite a two-sack, two-tackle-for-loss, and seven-tackle outing against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 8, Williams' Cowboys fell in overtime to the Arizona Cardinals, 33-30, dropping them to 3-5 on the season. That first-round pick in 2027 keeps looking better and better.

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