Out of Fuel

by Eddie Castro
As we go to press, The New York Jets came into the 2024-25 season with high hopes, led by Quarterback Aaron Rodgers returning after an Achilles injury that ended his season 4 plays into last year. A Few weeks ago, the team went on to add pro-bowl wide receiver Davante Adams, whom they acquired from the Las Vegas Raiders. This blockbuster move gave Rodgers another familiar weapon to throw the ball to. Both Adam’s and Rodgers were teammates for eight seasons in Green Bay. General manager Joe Douglas went on to draft Wisconsin’s 20-year-old Braylon Allen to give the team a 1-2 punch at running back with Breece Hall. With Adam’s now paired with star wide receiver Garrett Wilson, the Jets were posted to make some noise out of the AFC.

Unfortunately, there has been quite a turmoil for Jets fans all around as the team currently sits in a tie for last place in the AFC East with the New England Patriots. Let’s establish just what has gone wrong for Gang Green thus far.

For starters, their defense does not appear to be as elite as it was a year ago, being ranked as the 3rd-best defense in the league. This year, they are ranked 7th in part due to their abysmal offense, which sits at 26th overall. Injuries surely played a part in the Jets’ season, with key losses in their defense, such as Jermaine Johnson. Kicker Greg Zuerlein has been sidelined with a knee, and even before that, he was inefficient this year after having a stellar year last year. Now, we get to Aaron Rodgers. When it’s all set and done, Rodgers will be a first-ballot Hall Of Famer for sure. However, this year he does not look like the 4-time League MVP that has given us many ooos and ahhhs throughout the years. His inconsistency has put a damper and, more likely, a not-so-please bow on the team’s 2024-25 campaign.

To cut to the chase, the New York Jets should look like an entirely different team come next year. After a 2-3 start, team Owner Woody Johnson elected to fire coach Robert Salah. With Salah, the defense gave up 17 points a game. Since, Salah’s departure, the team has gone 1-5, giving up around 26 points a game. Johnson also decided to part ways with General Manager Joe Douglas. It is not a lock that neither Rodgers nor Adam will be back next year. Both will be free agents. The best thing moving forward for the organization is to fully press the reset button.

A GM and Head Coach search will be conducted and I’m not sure they will want to stick with a quarterback who will be 41 (if he decides he wants to resume his playing next year) and is showing signs of decline. As of this time, the Jets sit in seventh place in the NFL draft order and will probably look to grab a quarterback, whether it be through the draft or via free agency. There will be a dynamic reboot for a team that once had championship aspirations. The Rodgers experiment in New York has failed.

SPORTS NOTES: (NFL Football) the Jets return from their bye week as the welcome in the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. The Giants head to Dallas to battle the division rival Cowboys on thanksgiving night at 4:30 P.M. Other notable games on Thanksgiving will be Bears vs Lions at 12:30 P.M., and the nightcap will feature the Miami Dolphins and the Green Bay Packers at 8:20 P.M. On behalf of myself and everyone here at Our Time Press, we would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!