It could have been worse, but it could have been a whole to better. The New York Jets missed out on the playoffs in 2023/24 after finishing the regular season in third place in the AFC East with seven wins and 10 defeats.
They will be hoping to propel themselves up the NFL standings this season without having the injury issues which took out key aquisition Aaron Rodgers last year.
The quarterback picked up an ankle injury on just his fourth offensive snap in his debut for the team which ended his season incredibly early.
Now, with a full preseason under his belt, Aaron Rodgers will look to grab his second chance and roll with it in 2024/25 and look to be the leader on the field this offense desperately needs.
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Rodgers finally back?
With Rodgers back, the media are looking bullish on their potential to improve on last year and fight their way back into the playoffs. Evan Massey at Sports Illustrated has predicted the upcoming regular season matches and believes the New York Jets could end the season with a 12 wins and five defeats record, which could earn them a place in the NFL Playoffs.
A return to the playoffs would be an impressive leap for the New York Jets, who have spent so many years without a high quality quarterback to guide the offense.
Defence Issues
Defensively they have been a competitive side for many seasons, and this will look to keep being a trademark of their play going forward.
Haasan Reddicks trade request throws some spanners into the works, but this is a team who have consistently offered depth pieces a chane in pre season to prove their worth. The New York Jets havent budged on their stance in the contract issues surrounding Reddick and
“We have informed Haason that we will not trade him, that he is expected to be here with his teammates, and that he will continue to be fined per the CBA if he does not report,” Jets general manager Joe Douglas said.
Having been traded away by the Philadelphia Eagles due to similar contract agreement issues, Reddicks is standing firm for now, but at some point, one side needs to flinch first.
At Right Defensive End, Michael Clemons looks to be the first up with Reddicks sitting out of practice still. Clemons has played 16 games in each of his two seasons with the New York Jets and, though his 2023/24 season was not as strong stats wise for him, he can still be an effective player on the defensive line.
Reinforcements
On the offense, adding Mike Williams from San Diego Chargers will give Rodgers a direct and down field threat. Williams is a player of great experience and has two previous seasons with over 1000 yards along with 31 career receiving touchdowns.
Breece Hall really stepped up last season making a big leap from his 2022/23 year. He had nealy three times as many carries in 2023/24 and will look to benefit from a more diverse and threatening wide receiver group and talented quarterback to free up some running lanes and aim for a season with double figure touchdowns.
With a pretty solid roster now, excluding the issues surrounding Reddicks, the New York Jets look to be in a good position going into the new season. Like many sides though, an injury to their starting qaurterback could derail the whole season once again. With Rodgers now 40 years old and entering his 20th season as a pro off of a season ending injury, those worries can be hightened somewhat.
But if all players can stay relatively fit, especially those key players, then this roster really looks like one that can compete. What brings the most belief is that when trying to find weaknesses and reasons for concern, the only position you can look to is the tight end role.
Tyler Conklin will be the Tight End starter again after two seasons with the team since arriving from the Minnesota Vikings. He didnt manage a single touchdown last season after getting three in his debut season.
Some of this can be put down to the quarterback play, as well as the offiense as a whole. That being said, this is one area of the field that the New York Jets won’t have the most effective player in comparison to their opponents more times than not.
All in all, fans and media will go into the season confident on the Jet imporviing on their 2023/24 performances. How could they not with Rodgers at quarterback rather than Zach Wilson or Tyrod Taylor.
Everything will rely on Rodgers fitness though, which is something you cannot fully predict. It will be an exciting season once again for many different reasons for the New York Jets, and for their fanbase, lets hope its because of an improvement on the field.
