Twists, turns and plenty of bumps: A closer look at the Jets' winding road to Rodgers
The New York Jets’ 27–10 triumph over the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field was more than just your typical road win.
It was a statement victory for Gang Green, touted by many as the coming out party for the “Baby Jets” thanks to signature performances from rookies Sauce Gardner and Breece Hall.
With the Jets improving to 4–2 overall on the 2022 season and the Packers looking like a team coming to terms with an inevitable impending rebuild, the initial tease of what would become an increasingly tantalizing thought emerged: How good would Aaron Rodgers look in Gotham Green?
At the time, the Jets sat at 3–0 with quarterback Zach Wilson under center, but after two solid performances to open up his 2022 campaign, Gang Green managed to throttle the Packers in spite of their second-year signal-caller.
Ultimately, Wilson’s 110-yard outing in Green Bay proved to be a sign of what was to come, and a little over six months later, the Jets’ pipe dream has become a reality with Aaron Rodgers on his way to Florham Park in hopes of cementing his legacy.
But the story of just how the Jets got here is not a simple one, as its roots precede the arrival in New York of the immediate catalysts of this blockbuster: Zach Wilson and Joe Douglas.
In June of 2019, Joe Douglas signed with Gang Green following Adam Gase’s coup that led to the firing of former Jets General Manager Mike Maccagnan.
With Maccagnan having already led the Jets through free agency and the draft prior to his dismissal, the ensuing season represented an opportunity for Douglas, a highly sought-after executive, to simply evaluate the state of the franchise before putting his stamp on the roster.
Meanwhile, despite the offseason dysfunction, optimism was high at One Jets Drive heading into the 2019 season.
Gang Green was being led by a new coach in Adam Gase, Sam Darnold was looking primed to breakout after a promising rookie year, and big-money free-agent signings CJ Mosley and Le’Veon Bell were expected to reinvigorate the team on both sides of the ball.
But the rollercoaster ride that was the 2019 offseason continued into the regular season, as the Jets managed to finish with a 7–9 record despite a 1–7 start.
Results aside, it was an up-and-down year for Sam Darnold who missed four weeks due to mononucleosis, a disappointing season for CJ Mosley who wound up playing just one game due to a groin injury, and a colossal disaster for Le’Veon Bell who clashed repeatedly with Adam Gase.
Nevertheless, Gang Green’s encouraging second half of the 2019 campaign left some still feeling excited about the long-term outlook, but Joe Douglas, a Howie Roseman disciple with plans to try and build a sustainable contender, recognized there was no tangible path for his team to properly support its budding quarterback, and thus the future was bleak.
The Jets were devoid of assets and young talent for a variety of reasons. Firstly, they were coming off of several years of ineptitude from Mike Maccagnan in the draft and free agency. Moreover, an uncharacteristically strong season from 38-year-old Josh McCown derailed the team’s tanking efforts in 2017 and forced them to part with a boatload of future draft picks to move up to select Darnold in the first place.
So, heading into his first offseason on the job, Joe Douglas wisely prioritized picking up the pieces from Maccagnan’s mess in an attempt to start fresh and properly rebuild the Jets’ roster from the ground up.
Douglas was able to gradually tear the whole thing down with a slew of transactions, none more important than a masterful deal that sent Jamal Adams to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for two first-round draft picks and more.
These moves effectively set the team up to tank for the second time in just four years; however, the Jets came up short once again. Thanks to an infamous, improbable late-season victory over the Los Angeles Rams, Gang Green landed the second overall pick, thus missing out on the highly-coveted Trevor Lawrence.
Regardless, after firing Coach Adam Gase, shipping Sam Darnold to the Carolina Panthers for draft compensation, and continuing to shed onerous contracts, the Jets finally found themselves in position to start building a winner.
In 2021, Joe Douglas was set to bring in his handpicked coach and quarterback, and this time around, the organization would be flush with draft capital and cap space to surround their young signal-caller with talent. Most importantly, the organization would be in lockstep for the first time since the Tannenbaum-Ryan-Sanchez era.
Over the last few years, the Jets' front office has executed its plan admirably. They have come a long way from where they began, now loaded with young talent as a result of some home-run draft picks.
Only they once again swung and missed on the quarterback, perhaps the most crucial element of this formula.
It was a bumpy rookie season for Zach Wilson that ended with signs of progress, but the former BYU Cougar’s once-promising sophomore campaign began to spiral uncontrollably after his aforementioned underwhelming performance in Green Bay.
A 121-yard outing the following week in Denver began to induce panic, and things eventually came to a head after Wilson’s 77-yard showing in a devastating loss to the New England Patriots that led to his benching.
The true nail in the coffin did not even come until later, as Wilson ultimately returned from his demotion only to be pulled from a primetime must-win contest against the Jacksonville Jaguars in favor of Chris Streveler.
The New York Jets’ grueling last few months of quarterback speculation perfectly epitomize the franchise’s arduous journey to get to this point, but fortunately, that voyage has finally come to an end.
In Aaron Rodgers, who is just one year removed from back-to-back MVP seasons, Gang Green is set to have one of the all-time greats under center in 2023.
And while Joe Douglas’ initial vision for his team has gone to the wayside, the Jets somehow find themselves, well, right on schedule.
The original plans regarding this team’s composition and roster construction certainly differ from the current realities, but all along, the idea was that the Jets would reach realistic contender status in 2023.
And thanks to a darkness retreat, the days of darkness in Florham Park look to be a thing of the past with the New York Jets’ window now open.
The winding road this organization has taken to reach this juncture is not one that anyone could have anticipated. It has been filled with twists, turns and a bit of chaos at every step along the way.
But it is the destination that counts.
And this road led to Rodgers, who might just lead the Jets to a Super Bowl.