How NFL Rivals View What New York Jets Need to Contend This Season

The New York Jets are seeking to end a long playoff drought and rival teams believe there is one big thing needed to do that.

Dec 24, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh (left) talks with quarterback Aaron Rodgers (center) before the game against the Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium. / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Jets have become a trendy playoff pick in the preseason, even though the franchise hasn't made the postseason for 14 years.

Many experts are predicting that the Jets could win anywhere from nine to 10 games, which might be enough to get them in the postseason.

But what is the one thing New York needs to elevate themselves into contender status? The Athletic recently spoke to general managers and football people around the NFL for a piece on all 32 teams. The idea was to pick up on insider knowledge as each team prepares for its first full week of practice for the regular season.

For the Jets, however, the key to ending their long playoff drought isn't really all that much of a secret.

It’s all about quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

In fact, the article summed up what rival football people think of New York’s potential for the postseason in a way that Jets fans can relate to.

“They’ll believe it when they see it,” per the article.

No one is giving the Jets or their 40-year-old year old quarterback the benefit of the doubt. It’s not hard to see why. The 40-year-old quarterback in question is coming off surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon that he suffered in the fourth play of the first game of last season. Few quarterbacks come back from that kind of injury and put together an MVP level performance.

But it's exactly that sort of performance that many of the football people The Athletic spoke to believe Rodgers and New York need for them to reach the playoffs.

He will be on his way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame once his stellar career ends. If he is able to recapture that quality of play, the Jets certainly have a chance.

He’s thrown for nearly 60,000 yards, with 475 touchdowns and 105 interceptions. The Super Bowl XLV MVP has won four NFL MVP awards, named first-team All-Pro four times and earned 10 Pro Bowl selections. He’s led the NFL in passer rating four times and passing touchdowns twice.

He’s declared himself fully healthy 10 months after the surgery, but he hasn’t played in a preseason game. So when he takes the field on Monday Night Football against the San Francisco 49ers, it will be his first game action since last year’s Monday Night game that ended his season.

It’s not just on Rodgers, of course. The Jets have two talented offensive stars in running back Breece Hall and wide receiver Garrett Wilson. They signed All-Pro offensive tackle Tyron Smith in the offseason. New York has one of the best defenses in football.

But it all starts with Rodgers, according to the Jets’ rivals. And in a quarterback-driven league, that’s probably what it comes down to in January when the postseason approaches.