Projecting that is never actually that copy and paste over a game simple though. Especially for a guy on the decline at his age and one who was leaving his comfort zone at that. Who can't scramble out of endless pressure trouble as well as Zach can/did all year, who we last saw starting to turn the ball over more then he has in the past, and who has made a career out of a notorious tendency to hold on to the ball always looking for the homer run while having spent a career playing behind much better supporting o-lines then he was going to be playing behind here. There is too many potential variables that can completely changes games around where maybe you win some of those games, but lose to Philly or Denver when Rodgers takes a badly timed sack or turns the ball over when Zach didn't. Maybe we lose to Houston this past week when a the guy who hasn't had a 300 yard game stretching back to week 12 of 2021, much less has managed to put up a game as good as Zach had there, continues that streak. Before that immediate defensive instinct kicks in to try and claim that what i just pointed out there says the "Zach is better then Rodgers!" it doesn't, at least take a sec and try to let last that last part really fester in. Aaron Rodgers had 1 game all of last year where he managed to throw for over 255 yards with a better overall supporting cast then he would of had here. He hasn't put up a game as statistically good as Zach freaking Wilson did Sunday in almost a season and a half of games played now. Prime Rodgers was never realistically on the trade table. That narrative was a complete illusion created by owner who wanted the name value to drive ticket sales, a media who immediately jumped all the content clicks potential, the Las Vegas books who happily took a lot of early sucker bets, and a fanbase so QB starved and desperate to believe they would happily buy into the hype train sell that we were getting HoF caliber QB play. That trade ultimately amounted to us doing GB a favor nobody else in the league was going to. There was literally no supporting logic to why a 40yo ever needed to cost more the Brett Farve did. It only happened because it's *us*, and we are really just that poorly run of a sports franchise to willingly allow it to happen. ANY other team or FO and Green Bay simply pounces at opportunity presenting itself to move that contract, and the deal gets finalized in under a week. With *us*... it's milk the desperate sucker who everybody knows can't help but default to doing the stupid thing.
We could have traded down out of that top 4 spot and perhaps got a two fer out of it. We don't have a 2nd after we signed Kal EL and it would be good to try to get back into the 2nd even though our history with 2nds isn't that good.
The tank is very much alive. This team isn’t beating Miami and Cleveland on the road. It all comes down to Washington and New England. If the Jets lose out I think the worst they will pick will be fourth. That guarantees them MHJR or an elite offensive tackle prospect.
Evans is going to hit the receiver cliff just like Brandon Marshall did. Once the athleticism starts to dry up, the career is basically over. Maybe he can give us one good year? Planning for one good year, but paying a receiver like they’re going to give us 3 good years is a disaster waiting to happen. I’d rather go receiver dumpster diving than do that if Higgins and Pittman are off the table, and take one in the 3rd or 4th.
in theory we should lose to both, but if you can pressure flacco he sucks and miami just blew a 14point lead with less then 4 mins left. both teams are pretty beatable. the difference between the "good" teams and the "bad teams" this year is razor thin
I'd guess the Joe Flacco being good stuff will probably be as sustainable as our early winning was. By then it should be winnable game for us imo.
Wilson & Hackett against that Browns defense is the biggest mismatch. Flacco may only have to score 1 touchdown to win that game
i know he's the exception but larry fitz was effective in his mid 30s. bigger bodies WRs tend to go a little longer because they still have their size. much like TEs. with that said I agree he's lost a step but he's still an excellent WR good for another year or 2 before he becomes a possession guy only
I agree, but Brandon Marshall and Marques Colston are very similar in size and stature and they both started to see production decreases after 30. The counter to that is guys like Andre Johnson and Reggie Wayne had very top end seasons at 32-33 but they were different types of receivers. I just think the Jets have viewed this all-in stuff pretty poorly and they’re not tied to the all-in next season or nothing approach just because Rodgers is here. Keep building out the team with 2025, 2026, 2027 in mind. You sign Evans or trade assets for Adams and extend him and we’re staring down the barrel of 2015… and then 2016-2019 all over again.
While I vehemently disagree with the fact that cut and paste may not have worked because I think even a mediocre Rodgers is significantly better than Wilson just in the ability to read situations, change plays, and his experience alone (and frankly, the line would have been better than that situation) - the rest of it is absolutely spot on. Great take, and absolutely true. We are a bad franchise because we're bad. Not because of bad luck, not because of a bad coach, we are a bad franchise period.
Absolutely. The way this team was turned around so quickly was through youth. It was not by overpaying 30 somethings.
That Rodgers contract is such a whale that they will have no choice but to rebuild financially. According to Spotrac his base salary is 37m in 2025 and he'd have to play til he's 43 to get the dead cap number below 49m. That's 1/4 of the cap for somebody that isn't playing.
Which inherently makes this an all in situation. I am pretty sure that the Jets are not looking past 2024 at this point. How can they? The Bucs did it with Brady, the Rams did the poor man's version and still won with Stafford, and the Jets come along and lower the bar even further.
i agree on evans. he still got it but for how long? can't guarantee he'll do well after 2024 but he still look great this year. it depends really on the job outlook. JDs final year of his contract is after next season. so based on what happens next season it could be the difference in JD getting an extension or being allowed to walk free. if he walks free it likely means the CS is gone too so they could be looking at 2024 in a bubble as a make or break year for their jobs. Ideally for the team, higgins would be the best bet to pair with GW due to his age but lots of teams will go after him. evans will have a smaller market and be cheaper. I wouldn't give assets for tae unless they basically give him away (4th or later) just to clear cap room.
That's if Zach is even still QBing by then. It could be Siemien. Garrett already killed him once for the Jets
Yeah at the time I thought that threshold was kind of way too low…playing 65% got it to a first but it was a 2nd to start…should definitely have been way more graduated But water under the bridge….
Great post, Let me remind everybody how Rodgers looked behind our great o-line and receivers. He was not moving well with a healthy Achilles.
