2023 was supposed to be different for the New York Jets. After watching their 2022 season go down the drain because of an inept offense, they went out and acquired Aaron Rodgers to upgrade their quarterback position.
That upgrade did last long. Rodgers suffered an Achilles injury on his fourth play from scrimmage, effectively ending the Jets’ chances of making a Super Bowl run. It feels like Groundhog Day for the franchise, as the same issues that plagued them last season have reared their ugly head again.
Just like in 2022, the Jets have the pieces in place in 2023 to contend for a title. Unfortunately, the only thing they are missing is the most important piece; a quarterback. For whatever reason, New York’s brain trust has stubbornly stuck with Zach Wilson, torpedoing any chance the team had to succeed.
While Wilson’s struggles are the biggest reason the team is in the position it currently is, some blame has been placed on offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett as well. Hackett has found virtually zero success as a coordinator or head coach without Rodgers being his quarterback, so some of the scrutiny is warranted.
However, in Rodgers’ opinion, what is happening with the Jets doesn’t fall on Hackett at all. During his weekly spot on the Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers stood up for his offensive coordinator, as he doesn’t believe the scheme or play calling is the issue.
“Yeah, yeah, I see it,” Rodgers said of the criticism. “I won MVP twice in the same offense, so I’m a believer. I’m a believer in the offense. There are a lot of positions, you have to play better. But, yeah, it’s easy right now to throw it at the usual suspects, Zach [Wilson] and Nathaniel, but there’s a lot of positions that need to play better.”
You are only as good as the players you have to work with, and in reality, Hackett doesn’t have much. Outside of wide receiver Garrett Wilson and running back Breece Hall, the Jets don’t have much to rely on offensively.
The offensive line isn’t great and Hackett is running an offense that was originally built for Rodgers but remade on the fly for Wilson. It should come as no surprise that Rodgers stood up for Hackett, as he pointed out other issues with the team’s offense that are to blame.
“It’s tough because we’re nine games in,” Rodgers said. “I think a lot of the issues that we’re having are ones that we’ve had for a lot of the season. We’re not being efficient in the red zone, not being opportunistic on third down. We’re very low in both those categories.”
New York currently ranks last in both categories, a major feat when looking at some of the other offenses around the NFL. In Year 3 of his career, Wilson should be playing at a higher level, but he isn’t.
Ultimately, the shortcomings this season fall on owner Woody Johnson, general manager Joe Douglas and head coach Robert Saleh. There was no contingency plan in place behind Rodgers and when the injury occurred, they did nothing to rectify the situation.
It is easy to imagine as a Jets fan what position the team would be in they were aggressive like the Minnesota Vikings and acquired Joshua Dobbs at the trade deadline. Or signed a veteran such as Carson Wentz following the Rodgers injury. Instead, they are stuck watching Wilson torpedo a season for the second straight year.
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