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Despite the team boasting the longest active playoff drought in all of the four major American sports, Aaron Rodgers is feeling bullish about the New York Jets’ chances of being contenders next season.
Appearing on an episode of the Keep Hammer Collective podcast, Rodgers spoke about his rehab and why he believes that the Jets have the right players — such as Garrett Wilson, Breece Hall, Sauce Gardner, Jermain Johnson, and more — to be competitive during the 2024 NFL season.
“I like our chances. I like our guys. I like our coaching staff. We’ve just got to put it all together,” Rodgers said.
“We have a fan base that’s super, super hungry and desperate for wins. I think we’ve got the right guys. We’ve got a good group of really talented young guys. We have the rookies of the year from a couple of years ago in Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner.”
“We’ve got a couple of guys that were also coming off great years. Jermain Johnson had a big year for us at defensive end. Breece Hall, our starting running back, had a phenomenal year catching the ball, had like 600 yards receiving, and had a ton of yards rushing, and he’s a game breaker.”
Rodgers opening up about the achilles injury + why he likes the Jets’ chances in 2024
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— Dylan (@nyjetsfansonly) March 6, 2024
Rodgers certainly makes fair points about the ability of the Jets, as they do boast game-changing talent at virtually every level on both offense and defense.
The problem that the Jets face, however, is being able to protect Rodgers, both generally for the success of the offense and in terms of staying healthy, as their offense line was a mess last year.
Rodgers acknowledged the Jets’ need to upgrade its offensive line during the interview, saying: “We’ve got to sort out the offensive line, maybe add a couple of guys there. Maybe get another receiver. But I like our chances, and I feel like if I’m out there, we’ve always got a chance.”
While it’s difficult for any quarterback to succeed behind a porous offensive line, it’s even more crucial for the Jets as Rodgers is both 40 years old and coming off a major injury in a torn Achilles.