New York Jets Pass Catchers Have Consistently Let Aaron Rodgers Down

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been let done by his pass catchers throughout the season.

Oct 31, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) reacts after a touchdown against the Houston Texans by wide receiver Garrett Wilson (5) during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

A lot has gone wrong for the New York Jets during the 2024 season, as they have fallen woefully short of expectations in every facet of the game.

On the offensive side of the ball, a lot of the blame has been placed on quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Acquired from the Green Bay Packers during the 2023 offseason, he was expected to elevate the unit to new heights. After playing only four snaps before suffering a season-ending Achilles injury in his first year with the team, the second hasn’t gone according to plan.

Rodgers’ stats look more than adequate, but the team isn’t winning. They had higher winning percentages the last two years with Zach Wilson making most of the starts, winning seven games in each campaign.

At most, the Jets will win six this time around.

There have been plenty of instances in which the future Hall of Famer has come up short for the team. New York has held the lead in six different fourth quarters this year in a game they would go on to lose.

Some of that blame can certainly be placed on Rodgers, but he isn’t alone in coming up short. In some instances, he hasn’t received any help from his pass catchers.

Entering their Week 17 matchup against the Buffalo Bills, Jets pass catchers have been among the worst when it comes to dropped passes.

As shared by the 33rd Team on X, 5.6% of Rodgers’s pass attempts have been dropped this season. 

That is fourth highest in the NFL, behind Jordan Love of the Packers (7.5%), Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers (7.0%) and Will Levis of the Tennessee Titans (6.5%).

These QBs suffer the most from dropped passes ❌ pic.twitter.com/suY99mkvR2

— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) December 23, 2024

The main culprit in that disappointing statistic has been wide receiver Allen Lazard.

Signed to a four-year, $44 million deal by New York as a free agent ahead of the 2023 season, he has not come close to living up to the expectations of such a contract. He has been targeted 54 times thus far this season and has recorded nine drops.

That kind of inefficiency has plagued him throughout his tenure with the franchise, as he has provided bottom-of-the-barrel production with Gang Green.

That has certainly contributed to the team missing the playoffs for the 14th year in a row and recording their ninth consecutive losing campaign. Things could have played out differently if a few targets had been held on to throughout the season.