‘Let’s go all in’ – why it’s now or never for Rodgers & the Jets

Coming into the 2023 season, there was more hype surrounding the New York Jets than ever before.

Since winning Super Bowl 3 way back in 1969, the Jets’ history has been littered with calamities and disaster.

All that was supposed to change when they lured veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the NFL’s four-time Most Valuable Player, from the Green Bay Packers.

Both parties crave a second Super Bowl appearance, but just four snaps into his Jets career, disaster struck again as Rodgers tore his Achilles.

The 40-year-old has now recovered and the Jets have bolstered what was already one of the strongest rosters in the NFL.

So, coming into the 2024 campaign, linebackers CJ Mosley and Quincy Williams tell BBC Sport why the Jets feel now is the time to finally get back to the big game.

Jets got stronger in adversity

Rodgers’ injury thrust struggling youngster Zach Wilson back into the firing line and the Jets used four different starting quarterbacks over the course of last season.

They still managed to grind out a 7-10 record – thanks largely to their defence – and in Tyrod Taylor the Jets have brought in a more seasoned, reliable back-up at QB, just in case Rodgers is again ruled out.

Williams, 28, says: “[Last season] was a roller coaster, but the biggest thing is that the team stayed together, no matter what the outside noise was.

“At the beginning of the season, we ran into a little adversity, but we all kept fighting. Every week the goal was to go 1-0. Sometimes we didn’t get that, but we went into the next week with the same mindset.”

Although Mosley says last season was ultimately “a failure”, the 32-year-old agrees the adversity the Jets faced has made them stronger.

“Aaron going down was tough for the whole team but you have to bounce back or regroup,” he adds.

“A lot of things didn’t go our way, but we grew together. Some way, some how, we were able to get back up and improve. We could easily have quit but we finished off the year strong.

“I…


Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/lets-why-now-never-rodgers-143323317.html

Author : BBC

Publish date : 2024-09-03 14:33:23

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