This season was supposed to be different for the Jets.
Gang Green came into Sunday’s game against Jacksonville with a 3-10 record and losers of four straight.
But Sunday’s game was a glimpse of what many people expected the Jets to be when they were picked to win the AFC East crown and contend for a Super Bowl, especially during the second half.
Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams’ play ignited the Jets’ offense in the second half, enabling them to hold on for a 32-25 victory against the Jaguars, which snapped a four-game losing streak.
After the victory, fans weren’t the only ones wondering where this explosive offense has been all season.
“It’s too little, too late, but it is special, it doesn’t taint it at all,” Rodgers said about the performance. “It doesn’t steal any of the joy of it.
“It doesn’t take any of the fun that’s going to be on the bus and on the plane and we have another bus to get back to the facility. It is going to be special, and it is always special. This was a year of things where we were close, but we let it get away from us in the middle of the season.”
After Rodgers returned from the season-ending Achilles injury he suffered in Week 1 last season, many thought the Jets offense, along with their top-ranked defense, would challenge the Chiefs in the AFC. Not only has that not happened, but the Jets offense looked stale for most of this season.
That led to Jets owner Woody Johnson suggesting to the coaching staff that they bench Rodgers, who has suffered ankle, knee and hamstring injuries at various points during the season. This also led to Johnson firing coach Robert Saleh and later general manager Joe Douglas.
But since the bye week, Rodgers has looked like a different player. Not only can he move around the pocket more freely than he did the previous 11 weeks, but Rodgers is showing signs of the player the Jets believed they were getting when they traded for him in April of 2023.
Against the Jaguars, Rodgers finished 16-of-30 for 289 yards and three touchdowns. He also led the Jets in rushing with 45 yards on the ground. In his last three games, Rodgers is averaging 271 yards and has thrown for six touchdowns and just one interception.
“Just some good adjustments,” Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich said. “Todd [Pass game coordinator Todd Downing] did an excellent job of really trying to figure out their coverage and took advantage of it in the second half.
“It was really a tale of two halves on both sides of the ball as far as making adjustments. We had a much better second half.”
Adams also looked like the player who was once considered the best receiver in the league against the Jaguars. The Jets traded for Adams on Oct. 15, hoping he would be the piece that could make the team playoff contenders after beginning the season 2-4. However, there have been many ups and downs, including questions about the team’s energy.
But on Sunday, Adams registered nine receptions for 198 yards and two touchdowns, all in the second half. In addition, he became the 12th player in NFL history to record 100 receiving touchdowns.
“It was good to get in there, my teammates were gassing me up all week about it,” Adams said about reaching 100 touchdowns. “I think they were more excited about it than I was which is obviously a great thing.”
In critical moments of the game, Adams hauled in a 71-yard touchdown with 3:24 remaining and a 41-yard catch that set up Breece Hall‘s game-winning touchdown run with 1:05 left to play. Amid that, Adams made a freakiest catch along the sideline for a first down that was straight out of a video game.
“Historical, magical,” Ulbrich said about the Rodgers-Adams connection. “To get his 100th TD today, I feel honored to have seen it and to have been there for it.
“That was an amazing moment for those two guys. I have seen a lot of ball between them and a lot of touchdowns. So for them to get that was special.”
At this point, the Jets are playing for pride after being eliminated from playoff contention last weekend against the Dolphins. But they are also playing for possible jobs next season.
With a new regime coming during the offseason, the status of Rodgers and Adams remains up in the air. Rodgers has zero guaranteed money remaining on his deal following the 2024 season. If the Jets were to release him, they would have a $49 million salary cap hit.
Adams also has no guaranteed money remaining on his contract, so he will likely have to restructure it if he wants to stay with the Jets. He is scheduled to make $35.6 million in 2025.
The Jets could choose to start over fresh and rebuild from scratch. But as Rodgers and Adams continue showing signs of their glory days, they may decide to run it back in 2025.
Time will tell what Johnson and the Jets ultimately decide to do.
“In all honesty, I’m embracing this moment right now with this team and this performance,” Ulbrich said about the win. “It was unbelievable today, and we will take it at that.”
