The New York Jets season ended on Sunday when they defeated the New England Patriots 17-3 in the season finale.
New York finished the season a disappointing 7-10, which basically ended on the first series when four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles against the Buffalo Bills.
The 40-year-old was expected to make the Jets a championship contender in 2023, but it never happened. New York, who had one of the better defenses in football this season, did not get good quarterback play from the second pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Zach Wilson, who struggled for most of the season.
The Jets have talent, especially on defense, and they appear to be a quarterback away from being a championship contender.
On Monday, at his end-of-season press conference, Rodgers was asked what it would take for the Jets to win a Super Bowl title, and according to the 10-time Pro Bowler, the team is close.
“Yeah, I think we need a couple more pieces, which anybody that doesn’t host at the end of the season always needs probably one or two more pieces, but we’re close,” Rodgers said. “There’s some tough decisions about certain individuals, but I think we got a core group of guys. It’s really solid. I think you saw a lot of great play this year from individuals. Some guys took some steps from year one and two. I think there’s a lot of great cornerstone foundational pieces to build around what you need. Great young talent guys in their first contract. Guys who just got paid and played at a high level. We had two pro bowlers and a lot of other guys who could have been, but those are on the defensive side of the ball or our two specialists. So, we need to make sure we get some of those guys getting the recognition and playing at the Pro Bowl level, All-Pro level on the offensive side of the ball.”
When Rodgers was first traded to the Jets, he wanted to play one season and retire. That has changed, and he wants to prove he can still get the job done at an elite level.
“I was thinking when I got traded, it was going to be a one-year thing, then I got out here, realized how much fun I was having, and kind of fell back in love with the game, he said. “And I said to you guys, this is not going to be a one-year thing, and then it gets taken away, so this is not a one year in my mind; I mean, obviously, it’s a ‘what have you done for me lately’ and I’m going to have to go out and prove that I can still play at a high level, but I’d like this to be more than just next year.”
Rodgers is coming off a significant injury, which has ended many careers, but throughout his career, he has proven the doubters wrong, and he’ll have another chance to prove them wrong again in 2024.
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