Despite the hullabaloo surrounding the Jets last season, they obviously didn’t deliver. All the fuss surrounding the team was thanks to Aaron Rodgers’s welcome into the team, but it ended within five minutes of the first game, with his first season with the Jets cut short due to his Achilles injury.
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He wanted to prove a lot last year, so the expectations this time around are going to be monumental, both from him and the team that hired him for $75 million. Jets HC Robert Saleh gave confirmation of this when he spoke to NFL Network’s Steve Wyche at the Annual League Meeting on Sunday.
Saleh revealed the team’s free agency moves have been all about how to protect and enhance Rodgers once he returns fully healthy. With training camp months away, Saleh is confident in Rodgers’ full recovery and more importantly, his return back in form, and according to him, Rodgers is desperate to prove himself in this second season. He revealed,
“Aaron, he’s on a mission. He’s doing his rehab. He’s out in California, I believe. Obviously, he’s taking some time for himself. He was ready to go last year, man. So I know he’s getting ready. We speak to him often. I don’t want to speak for him, but I am going to speak for him and say that he’s really excited about attacking this season.”
Gang Green has bolstered its offensive line in Rodgers’s absence, a challenge in 2023 despite improvement throughout the campaign. They’ve brought in two veteran tackles and added a promising talent at the guard position in hopes of solidifying the offensive line and protecting our man Aaron Rodgers. A winning season is definitely something the Jets are looking forward to, but there’s something else they would like, per Saleh.
Robert Saleh Would Like More “Quietness”
It’s not a secret that the last season was quite chaotic for the Jets, who might’ve not been prepared for Rodgers’ injury and his subsequent off-field rampages. During the interview with Steve Wyche at the annual league meeting, Saleh emphasized a revitalized mindset for the Jets. He said,
“I think (general manager) Joe (Douglas) has done a really nice job adding some really cool pieces to the football team, but, yeah, quiet,” Saleh said, regarding the Jets’ 2024 free agency. “Last year was a little loud. We welcome a little bit of quietness.”
As they approach the promising prospects of 2024, the team seems to have redirected their focus, and want reduced scrutiny on their every move this time around. However, that’s a tall order if we know anything about Rodgers, the man is already making headlines for his potential VP run. It might be a little unrealistic to have that expectation, considering the scrutiny is going to be twice as hard this year, compared to last year.
Will Rodgers be able to redeem himself in his second year with the Jets, so it doesn’t end up becoming his final year? Will Saleh get the quietness he wants? The answer to the first question is up in the air but the answer to the second is a resounding ‘most likely not.’
