The Jets entered uncharted territory Tuesday when Tom Brady announced he wouldn’t re-sign with the Patriots after 20 seasons in New England. By leaving the AFC East, Brady left the division seemingly up for grabs for the first time since 2008 – the last time the Patriots didn’t win the divisional crown and the last time Brady didn’t play an entire season.
Now, Adam Gase and Joe Douglas have an opportunity that was never presented to their predecessors. With Brady out, the Patriots are finally vulnerable and the division has never been more wide-open.
This is the time for them to strike and prove to Jets and NFL fans alike that they know how to rebuild a team properly. If Gase and Douglas succeed taking the division away from the Patriots – something Herm Edwards, Eric Mangini, Rex Ryan and Todd Bowles only did a combined one time in 19 years – they’ll be heralded as saviors after an introductory season marked by inconsistency, lackluster performances and personnel issues. But if they fail it will be the ultimate sign of incompetence and a further indictment on Gase’s ability to coach a team, Douglas’ ability to build one and Christopher Johnson’s ability to run one.
The Jets can’t take a Brady-less division easily, though. Bill Belichick still runs the Patriots and the Dolphins and Bills both bolstered their rosters already this offseason.
Belichick won without Brady before. He went 3-1 in 2016 when Brady missed four games because of his Deflategate suspension and 11-5 with Matt Cassel in 2008 when Brady missed most of the season with a torn ACL. The Patriots didn’t make the postseason in 2008, but neither did the Jets, who went 9-7 with Brett Favre at the helm and Thomas Jones rushing for over 1,300 yards and 13 touchdowns. It was the last best opportunity for the Jets to win the division, but they botched the chance with a horrid string of games down the stretch.
The Dolphins and Bills won’t be pushovers, either. The Dolphins now possess the best cornerback duo in Xavien Howard and Byron Jones, six draft picks in the first three rounds and are coached by Brian Flores, a Belichick disciple. The Bills were a few plays away from a postseason win in 2018 and just traded for one of the best wide receivers in the game in Stefon Diggs. The Jets went 1-1 against both teams, respectively, in 2019 and now both are significantly improved.
Gase and Douglas haven’t shown yet this offseason they’re ready to improve on one of the worst offenses in the league in 2019. The Jets have spent sparingly in free agency so far and haven’t addressed all of the holes on the roster yet. Even with Brady out of the division, it would be a stretch to say the Jets are the favorite to win the AFC East.
This can all change as the rest of the offseason progresses, though. Now that the Jets know they won’t have to play Brady twice a year, they can build a win-now team with the hopes of snatching the division away for the first time since 2002 and making the postseason for the first time since 2010.
Sam Darnold and Le’Veon Bell are great foundational blocks on offense and Douglas already made great strides to upgrade their protection upfront. The defense under Gregg Williams became a bright spot in 2019 and should continue to improve with another year of development for Quinnen Williams and Jamal Adams and a healthy C.J. Mosley in the middle. Gase and Douglas have the pieces to build a contending roster; they just need to seize this moment before the rest of the division takes it.
The Jets have a lot of work to do but it’ll be made easier now that Brady won’t be on their schedule. Belichick and the Patriots are always a threat but the lack of Brady evens the playing field for the rest of the division.