New York Jets Talent Not Translating to Overall Team Performance on Field

The New York Jets are showing that it takes more than just talent to succeed in the NFL.

Oct 27, 2024; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New York Jets place kicker Greg Zuerlein (9) reacts after missing the kick against the New England Patriots in the second half at Gillette Stadium. / David Butler II-Imagn Images

Over the last few years, the New York Jets operated similarly to someone playing franchise mode in Madden. They brought in some big-name players, starting with their acquisition of Aaron Rodgers last offseason.

In desperate need of a quarterback upgrade, they completed a trade with the Green Bay Packers hoping he would help put them over the top. All the optimism surrounding his arrival was gone four offensive plays in the 2023 season when he suffered a season-ending Achilles injury.

While he was sidelined, plenty of other issues with the roster arose. The team needed some more talent at the skill positions and the offensive line was a mess.

Throughout the 2024 offseason and the early portion of this year’s campaign, the front office did what it could to address those needs.

A first-round pick was used on Penn State offensive tackle Olu Fashanu. Wide receiver Malachi Corley was picked out of Western Kentucky and the backfield was bolstered by the addition of Braelon Allen.

Earlier in the offseason, Tyron Smith was signed in free agency along with John Simpson. Morgan Moses was acquired in a trade from the Baltimore Ravens. Wide receiver Mike Williams was signed after being released by the Los Angeles Chargers. Edge rusher Haason Reddick was acquired from the Philadelphia Eagles.

In-season, the team finally reunited wide receiver Davante Adams, landing him in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Alas, nothing has worked as the Jets are now 2-6 and watching their playoff hopes dwindle by the week. As Rich Cimini of ESPN shared, the Jets are epitomizing that it takes more than talent to succeed in the NFL.

“There's a difference between a roster and a team. The Jets have assembled a roster of recognizable names, but they're not playing like a cohesive team. Coach Robert Saleh was scapegoated for the poor start (fired after five games), but he wasn't the problem. Older players such as Aaron Rodgers, Mike Williams and Tyron Smith haven't lived up to expectations. Foundational players such as Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall have encountered adversity for the first time in their young careers. As a result, the team is underachieving,” the ESPN NFL nation team reporter wrote.

Everything that could have gone wrong for New York has. No one would have thought they would have a worse record through eight weeks in 2024 than they did in 2023 with Zach Wilson leading the way as the starting quarterback.

Somewhat miraculously, predictive systems still give the team a chance to compete. ESPN’s FPI has the Jets at No. 15 with an 11.6 percent chance of making the playoffs and a 1.2 percent chance of winning the AFC East.

Alas, if you ask some fans of the team, both of those numbers should be at zero.