Jets Should Be Ashamed For Throwing Away This Season
From not signing a quality backup for Aaron Rodgers in the offseason to failing to respond after his Achilles tear four plays into the season, the Jets never gave themselves a chance to compete this year.
Missed Opportunities
Heading into this season, New York opted not to sign a veteran quarterback to backup Aaron Rodgers. At the time the team was confident that Zach Wilson could tread water for a few games if Rodgers had to miss time. The only problem is that the worst-case scenario happened and the Jets' new starting quarterback was going to miss much more than a few games. New York failed to be proactive at the start of this year, which they deserve the blame for, but that’s not even the part that angers me the most.
New York’s failure to be reactive after losing Aaron Rodgers was and is totally inexcusable. Wilson was just expected to get thrown back into the starting role after an abysmal first two seasons in the NFL. In the two weeks that followed, the Jets made absolutely no changes to their quarterback room, which is criminal.
It wasn’t until after a horrendous loss to the Patriots in Week Three that New York finally showed a pulse and signed QB Trevor Siemian to the practice squad. However, this move did not amount to much since Siemian was never brought up to the active roster due to an “improved” Zach Wilson.
The Jets keep trying to sell us on the idea that Wilson is getting better meanwhile the Vikings lost Kirk Cousins for the season and immediately traded for Josh Dobbs, a move Gang Green could’ve made weeks prior. The Browns even signed Joe Flacco after losing Deshaun Watson for the year. The Jets even had their chance at free agent QB Carson Wentz for a few weeks until the Rams eventually signed him. Wentz even reached out to the Jets before committing to Los Angeles.
The Jets had multiple opportunities to sign a legitimate quarterback who could come in and take the job away from Zach Wilson. A job that he visibly struggles to accomplish each and every week. Wilson has only scored two touchdowns in the last six weeks.
Don’t get me wrong, the third-year quarterback is not the only issue with this offense. The Jets offense as a whole owns a 22.9 third-down conversation percentage, along with a 26.1 red zone percentage. Play-calling and a damaged offensive line factor into the equation as well, but the quarterback is a big piece of the puzzle and Zach has been statistically one of, if not the worst quarterback in the NFL since entering the league.
Jets Must Suffer The Consequences
New York surprisingly entered their bye week with a 3-3 record with wins against the Bills, Broncos, and Eagles. Even though they were having some success, the way in which they were winning games was simply not sustainable. A good defense paired with little to no offensive production. Now this team owns a 1-3 record after the bye and has pretty much played themselves out of any chance of making the playoffs. It’s the same story as last season, a year where the Jets started 7-4 and ended the year on a six-game losing streak.
That might be the hardest part for me. We’ve seen this story before, the Jets have seen how this plays out, yet they did nothing to change it. Wilson was benched last season and they went out and replaced him with Aaron Rodgers. So why was this organization so content with allowing Zach to be the team's only insurance plan for Rodgers?
I wish I had an answer for you, but I am still in disbelief that the Jets were willing to ride with Zach Wilson for as long as they did. This season did not have to be a lost year. Yes, the expectations change when you lose a player like Aaron Rodgers, but this team could’ve been far more competitive or at least had the chance to be if this organization just swallowed its pride for one second and brought in someone capable of shortening Zach’s stay.
Final Thoughts
It’s tough to accept the fact that the second-overall pick you selected in the draft is a bust. What’s worse than that is not coming to terms with it sooner and making the rest of the team suffer along the way. By not admitting to their mistakes, New York has thrown away a season where the Jets could still be a team in the hunt even without Aaron Rodgers. Average quarterback play probably gets you wins against the Patriots and Raiders this year and now all of a sudden the Jets are sitting with a 6-4 record even after Sunday's debacle.
I can only speculate so much, but the fact that this season is basically over for the Jets mainly due to their own neglect is embarrassing and unforgivable. These are the types of decisions that get coaches and GMs fired. Now I don’t see that happening just yet at 1 Jets Drive, but I'm sure their seats are a little warmer today than they were at the beginning of the season. Joe Douglas and Robert Saleh are going to have to learn from this, and quickly I might add, if they plan on competing for a Super Bowl next season.
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