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Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff Writer
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — It came after their 10th defeat, a prime-time embarrassment to the Cleveland Browns in Week 17. The New York Jets had lost to their former quarterback, Joe Flacco, and the vibe in the locker room was a weird mix of gloom and defiance.
“I’ll just tell everybody to get their laughs out now because it’s not going to be like that in the near future,” running back Breece Hall said after the 37-20 loss, essentially turning the page to 2024.
And so here we are, just over a week after training camp begun, and it seems like Hall’s manifesto is alive and well. The Jets, a franchise with a 13-year playoff drought (not to mention eight straight losing seasons), are so rejuvenated and confident that they’re talking Super Bowl.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers said, “The goal is New Orleans” — and he wasn’t referring to his next offseason vacation. New Orleans is the site of Super Bowl LIX.
Likewise, cornerback D.J. Reed, who went to the Super Bowl as a second-year player with the San Francisco 49ers in 2019, sees similarities between that team and the current Jets squad. The 49ers went from 4-12 to NFC champions, illustrating that one-year flips are very possible in the NFL.
“I would definitely say that this team is definitely on that trajectory,” Reed said. “We definitely have a chance to win it all.”
The Jets have a 52.9% chance to make the playoffs, one of three AFC East teams with at least a 50% shot, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index projections. They’ve been beaten down so much over the years that it seems incongruous to be having this conversation — there have been plenty of those Cleveland-type losses.
Rodgers believes the Jets are among eight to 12 teams with a realistic shot at the Super Bowl. Of course, he said the same thing last year and everything unraveled when he ruptured his left Achilles on the fourth snap of the season. Result: A 7-10 record for the second year in a row.
It’s too early to make any definitive statements about Rodgers’ comeback, but he appears to be moving well on his surgically repaired Achilles. He hasn’t been razor sharp with his passing, but he said it would take a full training camp before he returns to pre-injury form.
Rodgers’ familiarity with the team, and vice versa, has resulted in better communication (on and off the field), according to players. Rodgers mania, which dominated training camp last summer, has faded a bit. The omnipresent “Hard Knocks” cameras, another summer of ’23 staple, are long gone, creating a more business-like atmosphere, coach Robert Saleh said.
But this doesn’t mean Rodgers is just another regular guy. To a man, the Jets believe the four-time MVP sets the standard and creates an air of accountability by his mere presence. In recent days, Rodgers and wide receiver Garrett Wilson engaged in animated conversations between series. They appeared to be discussing plays that went wrong. That never happened with Zach Wilson at quarterback.
“I tell my friends back home all the time, it’s like playing with [Michael Jordan] or Kobe,” defensive tackle Solomon Thomas said. “He really is like one of a kind.”
There was a similar narrative last summer, as Rodgers was perceived as the immediate savior of a franchise that hasn’t been to the Super Bowl in 55 years. We’ll never know how it would’ve turned out if he had remained healthy.
This time, the Jets believe they’re better positioned even though Rodgers is a year older — he turns 41 on Dec. 2 — and coming off a major injury. Why? It’s their second year in Nathaniel Hackett’s offense, Hall looks terrific now that he’s another year removed from 2022 ACL surgery and the offensive line is better on paper than last year.
“Once everything is connected, I feel like we have the potential to be something great,” said left tackle Tyron Smith, one of the three new starters on the line.
The offense scored a league-low 18 touchdowns last season, putting an enormous physical and mental strain on the defense. It rarely got to play with a lead and, by the end of the year, it was worn down. It all came out in that loss to the Browns, who toyed with the overmatched Jets before a Thursday-night TV audience.
“The offense feels like night and day compared to my previous years here,” Reed said. “Even last year, it felt like when we started, it was a little slow, even in training camp. Right now on offense and defense, everybody’s clicking. It feels like we’re playing real football already and training camp just started.”
Nothing comes easy for the Jets, so there will be challenges along the way. Right now, the most pressing concerns are health related. Wide receiver Mike Williams, nine months removed from ACL surgery, still isn’t practicing. Without him, they don’t have a clear-cut No. 2 option in the passing game, a player to reduce the pressure on Wilson. The hope is that Williams returns by Week 1.
The other potential issue is the health of the offensive line, which has two players coming off surgery — guard Alijah Vera-Tucker (Achilles) and tackle Morgan Moses (pectoral). Vera-Tucker is practicing; Moses isn’t, but should be back soon. Smith, for all his success with the Dallas Cowboys (eight Pro Bowls), has lacked durability.
Priority No. 1: Protect Rodgers. If they can accomplish that, the Jets have a chance to reverse years of misfortune.
“It’s going to be a fun year,” Saleh said, smiling.
Maybe they can get the last laugh.