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2024 offseason primer: Super Bowl or bust for Rodgers, Jets

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

2024 offseason primer: It's Super Bowl or bust for Aaron Rodgers and the Jets

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 2/15/24

If an award was given for the most disappointing 2023 season, it would almost certainly go to the New York Jets (7-10 in 2023).

From being hyped up as a dark-horse Super Bowl contender during the preseason, to the media circus that showed out for the Aaron Rodgers’ team debut in the season opener against the Buffalo Bills on “Monday Night Football,” the Jets’ dream season lasted all of four offensive snaps before Rodgers suffered a season-ending Achilles injury.

Unexpectedly thrust into a starting role, Zach Wilson proved over 12 games that his NFL future wasn’t in New York, and general manager Joe Douglas learned that he needs to have a competent backup QB in 2024 in case the 40-year-old Rodgers suffers another injury setback.

Both Douglas and head coach Robert Saleh were put on notice by team owner Woody Johnson that their jobs were likely on the line next season. Both are under pressure to not only make it to the playoffs but deliver a championship as Rodgers nears the likely end of his career.

Here’s what you need to know about New York’s offseason:

PROJECTED 2024 CAP SPACE: $7.56M (12th-least in NFL)

FREE AGENTS | Offense: QB Trevor Siemian; WR Randall Cobb; TEs Kenny Yeboah, Zack Kuntz; OTs Duane Brown, Billy Turner; OGs Jake Hanson, Xavier Newman-Johnson; center Connor McGovern

Defense: DEs Carl Lawson, Solomon Thomas, Ifeadi Odenigbo, Bradlee Anae; DTs Quinton Jefferson, Al Woods; LB Bryce Huff; CBs Justin Hardee, Javelin Guidry Jr., Bryce Hall; Safeties Chuck Clark, Ashtyn Davis, Jordan Whitehead

Special teams: Kicker Greg Zuerlein; punter Thomas Morstead

Outlook: Hanson and Newman-Johnson split time at right guard, and of the two, Hanson performed better as he didn’t allow a sack and surrendered just nine pressures on 244 offensive snaps. He should be retained as a solid backup but not looked at to be the team’s starting RG.

Huff was NY’s second-best pass-rusher behind Quinnen Williams, logging 67 pressures, 45 hurries and a team-high 10 sacks. Pass-rushing is a strength of New York’s defense, and it’ll be expensive to keep Huff, but it’s a necessity to keep him in the fold. Jefferson (29 pressures, 16 hurries, six sacks) was also a solid contributor in the middle of the team’s defensive line, and I would expect the Jets to keep him around as well.

Reading between the lines of Woody's statements it sounds like:

Don't draft defense
Need to focus free agency on offense
Too old and fragile on the o-line
Jets will sign the most expensive backup QB
Hot seat for coach/GM, would not be a stunner if Ulbrich is head coach mid year
— Jason_OTC (@Jason_OTC) February 9, 2024

2024 DRAFT PICKS: Round 1 (No. 10 overall) | Round 3 | Round 4 | Round 4 (via Denver) | Round 6

TOP DRAFT NEEDS (in order): OL, WR, QB, DT, Edge-rusher — New York’s top priority this offseason should be best protecting Rodgers, and that starts with revamping the offensive line. The Jets allowed the fourth-most sacks (64) in 2023, and left tackle Mekhi Becton (50 pressures and 12 sacks allowed) and left guard Laken Tomlinson (51 pressures and seven sacks allowed) were the biggest liabilities.

It's no secret the Jets were targeting Georgia tackle Broderick Jones in last year’s draft before the Pittsburgh Steelers jumped them in line and snatched him up. Fortunately for them, this year’s tackle class is a lot deeper. While Penn State’s Olu Fashanu and Notre Dame’s Joe Alt will likely be long gone by the time N.Y. picks, Oregon State’s Taliese Fuaga, Alabama’s J.C. Latham and Georgia’s Amarius Mims should all still be on the board. Any one of them would make a fine first-round selection.

With no second-round pick, don’t be surprised if the Jets go offensive line again in Round 3, especially if one of the projected Round 2 tackles like Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton, Duke’s Graham Barton, BYU’s Kingsley Suamataia or Houston’s Patrick Paul are still around.

DRAFT PROSPECTS TO WATCH: Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State; J.C. Latham, OT, Alabama; Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia; Troy Fautanu, OG, Washington, Christian Mahogany, OG, Boston College; Rome Odunze, WR, Washington, Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU; Ladd McConkey, WR, Georgia; Jer'Zhan Newton, DT, Illinois; Dallas Turner, Edge, Alabama; Laiatu Latu, Edge, UCLA; Jared Verse, Edge, Florida State.

THREE 2024 STORYLINES TO WATCH: