2024 NFL Preview: Can Aaron Rodgers & Jets Win the AFC East
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00:00We begin as most do with the AFC East and forgive me, Bills and Dolphins fans, while
00:12I am sure you feel that you should be the first discussed, we have to begin with the
00:18New York Jets.
00:19A season last year that is at times impossible to wrap your head around.
00:26All of these expectations, the hope and belief of Aaron Rodgers gone in a moment's notice.
00:33The torn Achilles on what was it his first drop back, third play and he was gone.
00:42At times I forget that they won that football game on a Monday night against the Buffalo
00:47Bills and then Rodgers proceeded to influence the Jets all year despite not playing in another
00:54game.
00:55Saying, oh, I'll be back, no, don't get any other upgrades.
00:58They trotted Zach Wilson out again.
01:00He proceeded to continue to be the worst starting quarterback in football.
01:04Then Tim Boyle got a chance, made Zach Wilson look good.
01:08And then we've entered into this offseason and they're saying Rodgers is saying all the
01:13right things.
01:15And then Rodgers is off on retreats again, which kind of goes the other way.
01:19What's interesting is the Jets are actually in front of the Miami Dolphins as it pertains
01:24to status within the AFC East market.
01:27Bills 165, Jets 185, Dolphins plus 210.
01:32Patriots are at a name your price kind of style.
01:34How do you feel right now, Joe, about the New York Jets and Aaron Rodgers?
01:37I think they're in complete disarray and this is, you know, take Aaron Rodgers out of it.
01:41Just seeing how they handled last season in regards to Zach Wilson and the quarterback
01:46situation.
01:47Robert Saleh, I think is dead man walking.
01:49And that is a big cause of concern for the Jets big picture, right?
01:52Even if Aaron Rodgers is healthy, let's say 95% coming off the ACL.
01:57I don't know if they have continuity as it relates to the offensive line.
02:01I don't think there's any continuity as it relates to Aaron Rodgers.
02:05The new additions of Mike Williams, Garrett Wilson now, and just expecting the New York
02:09Jets to be a 10 or an 11 win football team.
02:13I just don't see it.
02:14I don't understand how they could price, forget the Jets ahead of the Miami Dolphins.
02:19How do you have them ahead of the Cleveland Browns at $10 cheaper?
02:24The Cleveland Browns are 20 to 1 and the Jets are 10 to 1.
02:27It's ridiculous just to win the AFC.
02:29I do not see it.
02:31Again, Aaron Rodgers has shown it's Aaron Rodgers and everybody else.
02:34And again, if you want to be the leader of that team, you'd be in OTAs, you'd be in mandatory
02:39minicamp.
02:40He's not.
02:41And that just shows you what he believes in this team big picture.
02:44I think there are seven win football team at best, Donnie.
02:47Here's the issue that we're going to run up against, right?
02:49Because you take a look at the Jets last year and all we said all year long was, boy, if
02:52they could get, not good clay, competent quarterback play, they're a playoff team.
02:57Now we think we're going to get a competent quarterback team here with Aaron Rodgers,
03:00but the expectations now are back to being sky high.
03:03Because remember last year, it's like, hey, look at this.
03:04Jets running to the Super Bowl.
03:05You check the sports book.
03:06Wait a second.
03:07Nine and a half wins in a 17 game season.
03:09That doesn't sound like a Super Bowl team to me.
03:11And yes, the division is going to be something, but also let's key in on what actually took
03:14place last year.
03:16Aaron Rodgers ran that franchise.
03:17He gets hurt and he goes, you know what?
03:19I'm going to be back.
03:20Don't you dare sign another guy to take this team who might make the playoffs and make
03:23me look bad in the next season.
03:24And then my favorite one was the final week of the season.
03:27Some guy just trying to earn a living.
03:28Aaron's like, throw that guy off the team here.
03:30I want to throw slant passes in practice this week.
03:32And then saying, I had no idea.
03:33Then in the off season, oh, is everybody going to come back?
03:35Oh, Aaron okayed everybody to come back.
03:38So now how does he repay them?
03:39Mandatory OTAs.
03:40I'm going to Egypt.
03:41He went to Egypt because he said like, oh, look, wires got crossed at this point.
03:45What that means is he runs that locker room.
03:47What he says goes.
03:48If he doesn't like what's going on, he's going to make those changes.
03:51It'll be interesting to see how it plays out, but I am fighting with myself a little bit
03:54with the Jets because again, just decent quarterback play probably gets them 10 wins and they're
03:59going to get that if he stays healthy.
04:02That is the big part of it that I think last year, what happened to Rodgers, I think it
04:08is fair to call kind of a freak accident.
04:10I know the age is there, but just because you're 40 does not mean that your Achilles
04:14pops at a moment's notice.
04:17However, I would say the odds are against Rodgers finishing a season fully healthy.
04:23We didn't watch that play out.
04:26We know that there are players who you can look at and go, oh, they're not going to stay
04:29healthy.
04:30You have to, Kawhi Leonard in the NBA is always the example I'll go to when people are like,
04:34oh, if only Kawhi stayed healthy.
04:36Well, why were you betting on something that's just not going to happen?
04:40So for Rodgers, my wonder with the Jets is I think I'll get eight great weeks, right?
04:47And then does he get injured at week nine, 10?
04:49Is he back by week 14?
04:51Can they stay above water in the meantime?
04:54Those all become the questions around the New York Jets.
04:58The thing that I think has me now pushing away, I don't know if you guys remember, but
05:02we kind of did a show in the in-between of the conference championship games and the
05:07Super Bowl.
05:08And at the time I mentioned the Jets as an interesting buy low spot.
05:12Well, I can't make that argument anymore because it's no longer buy low.
05:16They're hired.
05:17They have a better odds to make the playoffs this coming season than they did last year.
05:21We're talking nearly minus 170 to make the postseason, Joe.
05:25There's now more optimism around the Jets again this year than last year.
05:29And that's where I get thrown off.
05:31I do too.
05:32And it's ridiculous in my opinion.
05:34I'll just say this.
05:35His last season in Green Bay, 26 touchdowns, 12 interceptions.
05:39He cost his team an opportunity by losing to the Detroit Lions at a playoff appearance.
05:45So again, expecting him to come in off a major injury, hit the ground running and throw for
05:5130 touchdowns in this offense, I just don't see it.
05:55And then you talk about the other playmakers.
05:57When's Mike Williams been healthy for a complete season?
06:00We're expecting Mike Williams to be the savior with Garrett Wilson as well.
06:03And oh, by the way, Brees Hall is just going to run for 1,500 yards.
06:07He's dealing with injuries as well.
06:10And then that defense is supposed to carry them.
06:12The defense couldn't carry them last year.
06:14Now you could blame Zach Wilson.
06:15You could blame Robert Saleh, but it's still the coaching staff.
06:18If Aaron Rodgers is not happy in the middle part of the season and they start, let's say
06:23two and five, the wheels are going to come off in regards to the team.
06:27And if Aaron is not happy, that's it.
06:29It is a dead bet in my opinion.
06:31I'm going under.
06:32I do not see how they get to 10 or 11 wins.
06:35I still put the Dolphins and Bills above them in the division.
06:39We'll see how it plays out, but that's why I'm betting under.
06:41And by the way, just quickly there, the opening game at San Francisco, you want to test out
06:45that Achilles.
06:46You want to test out that questionable offensive line.
06:47You're going to get that weak number one, but it'd be fascinating.
06:49And also the Eastern Division, it's not as good as it was last year.
06:54Some of those teams have taken a slight step back, so it might help them a little bit.