Category: Jets News and Notes

Garrett Wilson isn’t focused on ending the New York Jets playoff drought or Super Bowl talk

Garrett Wilson isn’t focused on the New York Jets playoff drought.

The expectation that the New York Jets will end their playoff drought this season doesn’t weigh on Garrett Wilson, That those expectations are being coupled with Super Bowl talk is something that Wilson doesn’t think about.

While not shying away from the hype or rather lofty expectations around this Jets team, Wilson also didn’t add to the headlines with his own outlook on the season. Instead, the Jets wide receiver said that he and his teammates need to be focused on the task at hand.

When asked on Tuesday about trying to get this team to reach the Super Bowl expectations, Wilson said he wasn’t aware of the Jets’ playoff drought and that “I’ve never seen it that way.”

“That’s the reality of what we’re trying to do. I think we approach it with the mindset of let’s get better every day. We’re not looking at it as we haven’t been in the playoffs the last whatever it is, we haven’t done this in whatever,” Wilson told reporters on Tuesday.

“It’s just, let’s find a way to get to the best version of ourselves because we know what we can do. And at the end of the day, we got to go out and do it. But the opportunity is there… That’s really all it needs to be is an opportunity and all these guys in the facility are willing to put in the work to try and make our dreams happen.”

With a top-three defense and an offense that is expected to be much improved, the Jets are expected to not just end a playoff drought that dates back to 2010, also compete for the AFC East.

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And there is legitimate talk about this being a team that, if they can stay healthy, has Super Bowl potential.

ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky predicts an ‘MVP type season’ for Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers

Dan Orlovsky made a bold prediction about Aaron Rodgers.

Aaron Rodgers can get back to the level where he was the top player in the NFL, this according to ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky. This week, Rodgers begins his second season with the New York Jets.

Rodgers of course, was injured on the Jets first drive of their Week 1 game last year, losing the season to an Achilles injury. But if he can remain healthy – and Orlovsky acknowledges how precarious this is- but a healthy Rodgers means the Jets should be a lock to make the playoffs.

Rodgers was named the league’s MVP in 2020 and 2021.

In 2022, Rodgers had 3.695 passing yards with 26 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

“I think Aaron is going to pick up very similar to what he was in 2020 and ’21, is that right? Yea. That MVP type of season,” Orlosvksy said on Tuesday during an appearance on the ‘Pat McAfee Show.’

“I don’t think if it will be that grand, but I do think he will play at an awesome level.”

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Then Orlovsky went into the outlook for the Jets. Returning what should be a top-three defense and with a revamped offensive line, there is reasonable optimism around the Jets that they can break a postseason drought that extends back to 2010.

“The Jets will be awesome if they stay healthy, if they stay healthy. It’s the biggest dice roll and finger crossed situation as we have had in the NFL,” Orlovsky said.

“You’re talking about a situation where you have to tell Aaron Rodgers, with one of the better dual backs in the league in Breece Hall and one of the better young wide receivers in the league (in) Garrett Wilson…I need you to score 17 points. If you score 17 points, we’re going to win or have the chance to win basically every game that we’re in. That’s it.

“You know how easy that is for Aaron? 17. He doesn’t give the ball away so you’re never going to be in negative situations or stressing your defense. You have the opportunity to then sit there and go that this is the perfect combination: A defense that suffocates you and a quarterback who doesn’t give the football away.”

Ross Tucker – Haason Reddick will get paid, won’t miss any games for the Jets

Ross Tucker believes that Haason Reddick will get a contract in training camp.

Former NFL player Ross Tucker, now an analyst for CBS Sports, believes that Haason Reddick will get paid this year. And not only that, he believes that the New York Jets defensive end will not miss any games this upcoming season.

On Tuesday morning, multiple outlets reported that Reddick will hold out from Jets training camp in search of a new contract. The Jets acquired Reddick in a trade this offseason.

Reddick is coming off four straight seasons of double-digit sacks. His current contract calls for a base salary of $14.25 million this season.

This is the final year of his contract, which he signed while as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles.

“He’s holding out now listen, any Jets fans watching this, he’s going to play in every game, OK? So just relax about that part of it,” Tucker said on social media on Tuesday morning.

“He’s just going to get more money to do so. He was not going to play this year for $14 million. He was never going to play this year for $14 million. He shouldn’t play this year $14 million – that’s like 50 percent of what he’s worth.

“The Jets head coach, GM – they know they’re on the hot seat. They’ll pay him more. The Eagles thought, ‘You know what? I don’t know if that’s the best thing for us. You know, Hassan wants a lot more money, maybe we’re better off getting a young guy like Bryce Huff’ – who they believe is an ascending player. Only time will tell in that regard. But all that we know now is what’s happening is exactly what we thought would happen.”

 

Last season for the Eagles, Reddick had 38 tackles and 11 sacks.

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Tucker’s prediction is welcome news for the Jets, indicating that a new contract for Reddick would come during training camp or preseason. That would certainly be a best case scenario for the Jets.

Former New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow is a legend in EA Sports College Football

Tim Tebow is part of EA Sports College Football’s Ultimate Team.

Tim Tebow, a former first-round pick who spent one season with the New York Jets, is featured prominently in EA Sports College Football 25.

The recently launched EA Sports College Football 25 has been wildly popular and features an Ultimate Team mode. It is there that Tebow can be ‘unlocked’ as a Legend player.

The Jets traded for Tebow in 2012 after realizing how much they missed Brad Smith in their offense. Tebow spent just one season with the Jets, playing primarily as a personal punt protector and serving as a back-up quarterback.

He has joked about his time with the Jets where he rarely played.

Tebow’s time in college with Florida was far more successful. He won the Heisman in 2007 as the nation’s top player and won the national championship twice with the Gators.

His time with the Jets was essentially the final season of his NFL career.

Now, back to EA Sports College Football. Why is this a big deal? GatorsWire explains:

“For those unfamiliar, the Ultimate Team mode is an electronic card-collecting game where you can manage a team of superstar players that would normally never play together — making it an “ultimate team.” Cards can be purchased with in-game currency, real currency or by opening packs obtained through playing the game.

“The 90-overall Tebow card can be obtained by completing the Legends Season Champion set, which requires one of each season one Legends Champion cards. The Tebow card is among the toughest to get in the entire game, right now, and that feels right.”

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In 2012 with the Jets, Tebow was 6-of-8 for 39 yards. He also ran 32 times for 102 yards.

Colin Cowherd reacts to Aaron Rodgers’ explaining missing ‘minicamp’

Colin Cowherd responds to Aaron Rodgers’ response to missing ‘minicamp.’

Colin Cowherd is fine that Aaron Rodgers missed mandatory minicamp in June. But Cowherd isn’t fine with New York Jets quarterback choosing to do so or his explanation for missing what is termed ‘mandatory minicamp.’

On Monday, the ‘Pardon My Take’ podcast (which is available on the Barstool Sports platform) aired a recent interview with Rodgers where he defended a recent trip to Egypt that caused him to miss minicamp in June. The Jets said that the absence was unexcused.

Rodgers said that minicamp is essentially OTAs and that he made 10 prior OTA practice sessions.

Cowherd nuanced his response in addressing the Rodgers situation during his Monday show (on FS1 and FoxSports Radio).

Twice in his monologue on the situation, Cowherd was critical of Jets’ ownership:

“But be that as it may, this just feels like, you know, kind of Aaron trying to win one of these little battles, and your teammates were there and you weren’t. I’m fine with it I don’t think it is the end of the world but I’d rather have my guy own it,” Cowherd said on FS1 on Monday.

“I will say this, old quarterbacks- [Tom] Brady was literally doing illegal practice as a Jesuit High School. You know, older quarterbacks. They don’t want to get hi. They don’t necessarily want to practice as much, and I get all that I do think the Jets, is a very unique situation because of the constant impulse of nature of the ownership, because they’re the Jets, because it’s New York – I think you should be there, but I don’t think it’ll have an adverse effect once the real season starts.”

Here is the full discussion from Cowherd on Rodgers:

 

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Rodgers was firm in his conviction during his ‘Pardon My Take’ appearance that this won’t be an issue once the season starts.

Aaron Rodgers – ‘We’re the New Jersey Jets’

Aaron Rodgers wants to re-name the New York Jets?

In an appearance on ‘Pardon My Take’ that was released on Monday, the most controversial thing that New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers said was that his team should instead me called the “New Jersey Jets.”

Somewhere, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy is smiling at the idea of the Garden State bearing the name of the Jets.

Rodgers conducted his interview in mid-July with the Barstool Sports program, talking about a wide range of issues. It was a light-hearted interview from a relaxed Rodgers, who clearly was in offseason mode.

The interview touched on Rodgers and his return from last season’s Achilles injury. However, one of the most interesting reactions from the Jets quarterback came when asked whether he lives in New York or New Jersey.

“Yea nobody lives in New York – if you’re a Giant you can but I don’t know why you would – just because the traffic into the tunnel and all of our stuff,” Rodgers said on ‘Pardon My Take.’

“I joke about. I know that stadium used to be on Long Island and but we’re the New Jersey…so are the Giants, yeah, the Giants play in New Jersey.”

The Jets are completely based in New Jersey, with gameday at MetLife Stadium. So Rodgers, who likely was just having some fun with his comments, does have a point.

Are the Jets still a New York team?

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In 2008, the Jets opened Atlantic Health Jets Training Center.

The New York Jets have one of the easiest schedules in the NFL

How easy is the Jets schedule this year?

The path to the playoffs is not built solely upon what should be a talented New York Jets roster. It is also buoyed by the optimism that this schedule is quite manageable for the Jets.

Warren Sharp has the Jets pegged as the fourth-easiest schedule in the NFL. The Atlanta Falcons, according to Sharp, have the easiest schedule in the NFL.

In the battle for winning the AFC East, the Jets have the easiest schedule. This is significant, given that a divisional title guarantees the Jets a playoff berth.

The Jets haven’t made the playoffs since 2010. They last won the AFC East in 2002.

  • Here is the rest of the division as it pertains to strength of schedule
  • No. 4 New York Jets
  • No. 7 Miami Dolphins
  • No. 23 Buffalo Bills
  • No. 31 New England Patriots (the Patriots have the second-hardest projected schedule in the NFL)

They open the season on Monday Night Football at the San Francisco 49ers (September 9).

With raised expectations, Jets’ Jermaine Johnson is looking to improve

Jermaine Johnson points to progress and hard work for the New York Jets.

Jermaine Johnson has lived up to expectations during his first two years in the NFL, with the New York Jets defensive end looking to continue his upward climb.

The former first-round pick heads into the 2024 season as one of the stars of a Jets defense that is projected to be among the best in the league. Johnson said that the focus this offseason has been to continue getting better.

And while the Jets have high expectations as they head into training camp this week (expectations that Johnson only helped but raise when talking with the NFL Network last week) the most important thing according to the defensive end is to win each moment.

“I go up. Progress, one percent. I always like to say the slope to progress looks like this,” Johnson said, making an upward motion,” Johnson told the NFL Network last week.

“It doesn’t look like this (Johnson makes a flat motion). If you’re staying the same, you’re getting worse. The goal is to keep getting better and better. My goal is to be everything and then some for my time – do my job and a little bit more.”

 

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Last season in his second season in the NFL, Johnson had 55 total tackles and 7.5 sacks.

Breece Hall on expectations, on and off the field, with the New York Jets

Breece Hall talks about the raised expectations around the New York Jets.

New York Jets running back Breece Hall isn’t shying away from expectations or a bigger role with the team this season.

And for Hall, these expectations include a bigger role on the Jets on and off the field.

On ‘Up & Adams‘ this week, host Kay Adams recently asked Hall his thoughts on the expectation window surrounding the franchise. With Aaron Rodgers back and healthy following his Week 1 Achilles injury last season, the Jets are again being talked about as a playoff team.

(And, according to edge rusher Jermaine Johnson, maybe even the Super Bowl…)

Hall certainly didn’t downplay his role on the Jets.

“For me, it feels really good just knowing that I’m servicing him and… I’m going to be one of his best friends just him coming off his injury,” Hall told Adams.

“Me being the bell cow of the team, I’m going to be getting the ball the most other than him, I’m going to be touching the ball the most.

“For me, I’m just trying to put our team in the best position possible and then I want everybody to follow – obviously we’re following Aaron’s lead but I feel like everybody looks at me as well in that same aspect as I’m the best playmaker on the team. As the offense goes as I go.”

 

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In 2023, his second season in the NFL, Hall had 994 rushing yards and five touchdowns

Jermaine Johnson on the mentality of the Jets is ‘Super Bowl or bust’

NFL Network interview with Jermaine Johnson ramps up New York Jets expectations.

In a recent interview with the NFL Network, New York Jets defensive end Jermaine Johnson certainly embraced the expectations around the team heading into this season.

In a conversation with NFL Network‘s Tom Pelissero, Johnson touched on a number of topics ahead of the start of training camp. Several of the topics from Pelissero dealt with the Jets bouncing back from a disappointing 2023 season.

Last year, the Jets finished 7-10, an understandable record given that future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers was lost in the first quarter of Week 1. But the expectation level is once again high for the Jets, especially with Rodgers back and healthy.

Johnson was asked the message he wanted to see in the Jets locker room heading into training camp. He certainly did not throttle down the expectation level.

Super Bowl, or bust, Johnson said.

“1-0 every week. 1-0 every practice. 1-0 every rep. I mean, just take it slow, handle what’s on the plate in front of you. Chop wood, carry water – it’s corny, it’s cliche but it couldn’t be more than the truth. Just look at that. Don’t make things bigger than it is, don’t let the moment be bigger than you. Be bigger than the moment.

“Ball out, be you. We’ve got Super Bowl or bust, that’s kind of how we’re looking at it. That’s how I’m definitely looking at it. With that being said, it’s 1-0 every week, 1-0 every practice, 1-0 every rep.”

 

“Be extraordinary. Be a superstar. That’s what I’ve got in my notebook.”#Jets DE Jermaine Johnson speaks on expectations, Aaron Rodgers and more on The Insiders on @nflnetwork. pic.twitter.com/J7HFqKgJhC

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Last season in his second season in the NFL, Johnson had 55 total tackles and 7.5 sacks.