Even Aaron Rodgers can't save the NY Jets from themselves
By Justin Fried
The NY Jets are an inept organization. They're a bad football team. You can change the quarterback, the offensive line, the defense, the playmakers, the coaching staff — you can change it all. Nothing matters and nothing ever changes.
Perhaps that's a bit of a reactionary take following the Jets' 23-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 5. After all, the Jets' defense was mostly lights out. Aaron Rodgers made his share of mistakes, but he mostly did enough to keep his team in the game until the end.
But that's the thing. Almost is never good enough in the NFL.
Stop me if you've heard this story before. A dominant Jets defense limits one of the best offenses in the NFL, keeping the team's hopes alive despite a putrid showing from the offense. Then, once the offense finally starts to figure things out, the defense folds and leads a scoring drive.
Sound familiar? That's unfortunately the story the Jets have been repeating for what feels like decades at this point. At the very least, it's been the story of Robert Saleh's Jets tenure.
The NY Jets traded for Aaron Rodgers and it still doesn't matter
The Jets believed they were a quarterback away from a Super Bowl-caliber roster. That's why they swung for the fences with the Rodgers trade in the 2023 offseason. Rodgers was expected to change the narrative around an inept Jets organization.
Instead, it's been more of the same.
This isn't to absolve Rodgers of any blame. Sunday's Week 5 loss was his worst performance of the season. He threw three costly interceptions, was off with his ball placement, and ultimately failed to lead a scoring drive with the game on the line.
But the issues with the Jets extend far beyond Rodgers. They're a poorly-coached football team. They consistently fail to win one-score games and rarely, if ever, secure double-digit victories.
Watching the Jets play football is a war of attrition. It's a never-ending struggle, where fans are gradually worn down by their favorite team’s performance. It's the same story seemingly every week.
The Jets have a Hall of Fame quarterback. They have a quality skill position group and an offensive line that should be good enough. Their defense was fantastic on Sunday.
But it doesn't matter. The Jets are still the Jets. Rodgers can't save this mess.