Aaron Rodgers has been sidelined for the New York Jets with a torn Achilles injury since the first game of the 2023 regular season against the Buffalo Bills. New York has a 4-7 record this season and things would be looking a lot different for them if they had him healthy. WFAN radio host, Sal Lutica had some strong words about Aaron Rodgers’s time with the New York Jets so far.
He said on WFAN on Tuesday:
“Do we understand that Aaron Rodgers is ruining the New York Jets? I love Aaron Rodgers…unfortunately, this whole thing was built around Aaron Rodgers, and unfortunately, it fell apart four plays in. Now Rodgers is expected to come back and be the savior next year?”
The thing about this statement by Sal is that even if with Rodgers or no Rodgers, the Jets have been dysfunctional for quite some time and there has been a reason why they haven’t made it to the playoffs since 2010. They have the longest playoff drought in the NFL and that is one of the reasons why they traded for him in the offseason. New York has been looking for success and the last time they were close to sniffing the postseason was in 2016.
Zach Wilson was supposed to sit and learn behind Rodgers this season and not play at all. They didn’t anticipate any of this happening. This is why general manager Joe Douglass and head coach Robert Saleh will probably not get fired at the end of the season and get another season. Offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett has also received some criticism this season as well.
Hackett used to coach Rodgers when they were with the Green Bay Packers. Hackett didn’t even survive one season with the Denver Broncos as head coach. The Jets know that this season is a total wash and it is all about next season.
Saleh has built an elite defense for the Jets and why would they want to get rid of that? Sal also added on WFAN:
“All the people brought in are here because of Aaron Rodgers. The Jets can’t make significant changes with the coaching staff because of Aaron Rodgers. Their franchise, the way that it played out, is worse off because of Aaron Rodgers.”
The New York Jets Season Would Have Been Different If Aaron Rodgers Was Healthy
If Rodgers were healthy, the season would have been very different for them. The defense wouldn’t be as tired. With the Buffalo Bills having a down season at 6-6, the Jets would maybe be in second place right now in the AFC East behind the 8-3 Miami Dolphins.
But you can play the what-if game all you want. The truth of the matter is, the Jets are 4-7 and the offense has not been good because Rodgers has not played and has been a mess for quite some time. He will be 40 years old when the next season hits. The Jets will have Super Bowl expectations in 2024 and he is not ruining their franchise. That’s just a ludicrous statement.
