Like me, you’ll have spent your Sunday morning watching Aaron Rodgers throw three interceptions and 22 extra incomplete passes for the Jets in London. You will have seen Rodgers’ throws glide off the fingertips of just about each pass-catcher in a New York uniform as they nonetheless managed to mount a half-hearted comeback in a 23-17 loss to the undefeated Minnesota Vikings.
I’m wondering if Davante Adams discovered himself on his sofa, nursing that balky hamstring, watching this identical recreation. Perhaps he was retaining tabs on his former quarterback and the group in inexperienced and white and pondering to himself, “Yeah… these are my guys. I can work with this.”
The sinking Las Vegas Raiders are apparently prepared to maneuver on from Adams, with coach Antonio Pierce including to the drama each step of the best way. Adams, who lengthy maintained publicly that he wished to remain in Vegas, is now open to a commerce, too.
The same old insiders have reported that commerce talks “ought to ramp up over the following 48 hours” and that Adams would like a touchdown spot with a quarterback he’s performed with earlier than — the 2-3 Jets and Rodgers, or the New Orleans Saints and Derek Carr.
The Raiders could possibly begin a bidding battle pitting not solely the Jets and Saints, but additionally different groups towards one another. In spite of everything, a star like Adams makes any group higher.
However New York is hardly assured to get that a lot better if it pulls off the transfer. Of the Jets’ myriad of issues, the quantity of broad receiver expertise ranks fairly low, for a change.
Full disclosure right here: I’m a Jets fan, moderately younger however nonetheless of the “long-suffering” selection. (In case you suppose there’s some form of moral downside with me writing about this group in an expert capability, effectively, if Jets fan Wealthy Eisen was allowed to do play-by-play for the London recreation, I feel I’m inside my rights to criticize them.)
There are a number of factors we are able to make in favor of a Jets commerce for Adams. Rodgers and Adams have related on 76 touchdowns between the common season and playoffs in an eight-year marriage in Inexperienced Bay, tied for fifth most by a quarterback-receiver duo in league historical past. The Jets nonetheless have faint playoff hopes as a result of the AFC East is weaker than anticipated, with the Buffalo Payments at 3-2 however instantly wanting weak and the Miami Dolphins feeling round at midnight with out a strong quarterback.
And as onerous because the previous few years (or a long time) have been on followers of this group, simply saying “we are able to’t have good issues” doesn’t imply you don’t strive. I noticed this perspective in 2020 from antagonists of the Jets in addition to some supposed followers — it went like, “Why get excited concerning the probability to land Trevor Lawrence? We’ll simply discover a option to break him too.” I get that this group evokes nihilism in individuals, however that worldview frankly sucks.
That stated, the Jets aren’t one star receiver away from a Tremendous Bowl, simply as, lo and behold, they weren’t one ageing future Corridor of Famer at quarterback away from changing into unstoppable. Rodgers threw two of his three interceptions on Sunday within the first quarter alone, each on fairly unhealthy choices, not flukes or tipped balls.
The Jets already banked a lot on Rodgers reworking them. They put in his most well-liked offensive coordinator and signed one other former Packer teammate, Allen Lazard, at receiver. (Don’t overlook a really washed Randall Cobb in 2023!) Then why is the man’s cadence and timing along with his teammates so clearly off, and why would another acquainted face make that disappear?
The opposite massive situation is that coach Robert Saleh hasn’t had the Jets ready, seen at its worst in an unsightly 10-9 loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 4. So it doesn’t assist when Rodgers can be completely predictable with who he desires to throw to. He pressured an unwise move to his buddy Lazard within the pink zone on Sunday earlier than Lazard finally scored, and he tried one other extraordinarily low-percentage shot to Tyler Conklin in double protection on the aim line.
There’s a universe the place the Jets proper the ship. Perhaps it’s with Adams and perhaps it’s not, however many of the center a part of their schedule is eminently beatable aside from the Houston Texans. Tons must go proper — the working recreation has to rank higher than thirty second in a 32-team league, and somebody would want to wave a magic wand over an offensive line that’s barely holding issues collectively.
Mortgaging extra of your future to pair Adams together with your 40-year-old quarterback doesn’t paper over these issues. And it might make in the end lacking the playoffs harm the followers twice as a lot.
