Aaron Rodgers is Back

 

Ryan Kang / Getty Images

    

    The Jets have done it again. They are getting my hopes up early. But this time REALLY think they are a legitimate team.

    With a 24-17 win over the Tennessee Titans and a 24-3 win over the New England Patriots, I can't help but let my imagination run wild with what the 2024 New York Jets could be when the season is over.

    This all is because of the performances put on by the oldest player currently in the NFL, Aaron Rodgers.

    The four-time MVP has dazzled since returning from his season-ending torn Achilles injury he suffered four plays into the 2023 season after New York acquired him from the Green Bay Packers in the offseason. His most recent performance versus New England was one that I haven't seen from a Jets QB in my lifetime. 

    First, in week 2, the Jets took care of business by scoring late in the fourth quarter by the youngest player in the NFL (how ironic) Braelon Allen. It was a slow start which alarmed me, but Rodgers would use his brilliance to spread the wealth evenly around all of his weapons to do enough for the Jets to earn their first win of the year. 

    The win versus New England made me want to watch on rewind all week. The Jets haven't beaten the Patriots at Metlife Stadium since 2015. To see it happen during a primetime game was perfect and the beatdown from start to finish was the cherry on top. Rodgers went 27-35, with 281 yards, 2 touchdowns and guided the offense to covert on 10-15 third downs. So far the Jets have improved their third down conversion rate from worst in the league last year to first this season, an improvement from 26 to nearly 57 percent.

    Other Positives:

- After a horrible season last year, Allen Lazard is now tied for the lead in receiving touchdowns in the NFL with three.

- The two-headed monster in the backfield between Breece Hall and Allen has performed exceptionally.

- The defense is back to its form from last year, with an improved Will McDonald IV leading the way with 5 sacks.

- The offensive line has given Rodgers plenty of time in the pocket to pick apart defenses. 

    The Negatives:

-  Greg Zuerlein missed from 45 yards versus New England, a kick well in his range.

- Morgan Moses and CJ Mosley, two veterans, will miss some games because of injury.

Final Take:

I'm happy the negatives are shorter than the positives. With Denver (1-2) and a trip to London against Minnesota (3-0) up next, I think the Jets should win in both games and hopefully move to 4-1.

What have been your thoughts through three games of Rodgers back at full health? Will the Jets' early success continue?

The Haason Reddick Situation

 

Courtesy: Instagram @Haason7Reddick

        Hello everyone! Welcome to my blog about the New York Jets. My name is Andrew Barbieri and I am a senior at Salisbury University, covering the news about the Jets for my sports communications class. I will be posting bi-weekly about Gang Green throughout the 2024 season.

    The New York Jets were utterly dominated by a Christian McCaffrey-less San Francisco 49ers offense on Monday night to open up the 2024 season, losing 32-19. 

    

    There were some key departures for the Jets in the offseason. Pass rusher Bryce Huff signed with the Philadelphia Eagles and interior lineman John Franklin-Myers was traded to the Denver Broncos to free up cap space. While at the surface managing to sack Brock Purdy three times looks good for the Jets' defense, they gave Purdy a clean pocket almost all night to pick apart New York's secondary. Backup running back Jordan Mason also gashed the defense for 147 yards and a touchdown in a spot start with McCaffrey dealing with Achilles tendonitis.

    So it must be asked, what did GM Joe Douglas do to address the departures on defense? Douglas acquired pass rusher Haason Reddick from Philly on April 1st for a 3rd round pick. Reddick has since held out and wants a contract extension as he is set to become a free agent after this season. For a lifelong Jets fan, the drama of Reddick not reporting to his new team since being traded doesn't even shock me. I would have used a game-action photo of Reddick as the image but he has not worn a Jet uniform yet five months after the trade. To try to get him on the field, Douglas has been playing hardball towards Reddick and wants to get a deal done by not entertaining Reddick's trade request during the negotiation process. It should noted that if Reddick does not play at all this season, the Jets will retain his rights and be able to franchise-tag him to keep him in New York.

    With the roster makeup the Jets have, they are in win-now mode. They need to have all of their firepower on the field though. By losing Huff and currently not having his replacement available you could tell that the defense was not the same defense that needed simply an average offense to make the playoffs.

    

    In my eyes, this clearly hurts all parties involved. The Jets are a worse team without him and Reddick is now forfeting his game checks every week. Could it be time to trade Reddick? Possibly but draft compensation won't help the Jets in the present with a 40-year-old Aaron Rodgers under center with his time in the NFL numbered. Douglas needs to bring Reddick and his agent in and get a deal done. I say that like it's easy but from a fan's perspective you can't waste any more time when talking about someone in Reddick who has had double-digit sacks in his past four seasons. 

    Discuss below: Would you try to trade Reddick and cut your losses or try to give him the extension he wants?