5 NY Jets mistakes that doomed the team in 2023

1. Backup QB: “We didn’t have one last year”

As Woody Johnson so eloquently put it, in 2024 the Jets “need a backup quarterback. We didn't have one last year.” All of the 2023 Jets' offensive struggles cannot be pinned on a singular position, but Zach Wilson and company own a big piece of that pie.

Wilson should have been QB3 entering 2023 and should have been insulated from having to play unless two injuries in a single game struck. The Jets should have treated this year as a redshirt year, meaning Wilson was never going to see the field.

He has all of the talent but has difficulty seeing the field and processing defenses, both pre and post-snap. A year studying film and watching from the sideline would’ve helped Wilson develop. Instead, tragedy struck in the first game of the season, and Wilson was thrown to the wolves.

In 2023, Wilson's QBR was 30.6, which ranked 30th in the NFL. While he had flashing moments of progress, Wilson held onto the ball too long while trying to see the field, which led to 46 sacks, with only Sam Howell and Bryce Young taking more.

When Rodgers tore his Achilles, general manager Joe Douglas should have been on the phone trying to get a veteran backup immediately.

At that time, the likes of Gardner Minshew and Jacoby Brissett were likely available, as those teams’ starting quarterbacks were still healthy. As the season progressed, more injuries happened, and the NFL saw a staggering 13 backup quarterbacks starting in Week 17.

When Joe Douglas finally decided to bring in a new quarterback, Jet fans were yet again disappointed as Trevor Siemian was the acquisition.

The excuse early in the season for not pursuing a backup QB was that they would need time to learn Hackett's system — yet another example that Hackett was not willing or unable to adjust his scheme to the players he had.

So the coaching was bad, the quarterback play was really bad, and the front office did very little to bring in a competent replacement. It was an all-around failure at the QB position, and it felt like anything that could go wrong did go wrong.