Blog Entry #2

Jan. 3, 2016, was the last time the New York Jets played a meaningful game. Ryan Fitzpatrick’s awful statistics in the 22-17 week 17 loss against the Buffalo Bills to eliminate the Jets from playoff contention feels still so putrid and fresh to Jets fans, despite it being so long ago. Sam Darnold had only just concluded his redshirt freshman season at USC and Zach Wilson was a sophomore in high school, yet it feels like that was still so recent. Maybe that’s because the Jets have been basically unwatchable every year since.

The Jets have been unwatchable this year yet again. They don’t figure to win with Mike White starting at QB. Thirty-six-year-old Joe Flacco, who they just traded a sixth-round pick for, doesn’t help them win either—especially since he’s not even starting. Robert Salah isn’t going to be fired after one season and Jets fans are used to losing at this point, so what is the purpose in winning? This is a rebuilding project and they were never going to make the playoffs this year even with Zach Wilson—so why not take full advantage?

The Jets have their quarterback for at least the next few years regardless of how Wilson performs thanks to the reputation of being the number two pick. Unlike last year, they can focus on defense in the draft, rather than building an entire offense from the ground up to replace the one that featured Sam Darnold running for his life every single snap in 2020.

Without the draft, the Jets’ only hope for a solid pass rush is if Carl Lawson recovers well from his ruptured achilles—an injury that’s pretty tough to come back from at full strength. Imagine if the Jets had Kayvon Thibodeaux or Aidan Hutchinson coming off the edge.

The Jets own Seattle’s 2022 first-round pick, which looks to be of great value considering how much of a mess the Seahawks are. Old friend Geno Smith has led them to two straight losses to put their record at 2-5, and while Wilson may return for their week 10 game against Green Bay, Jamal Adams isn’t going to magically start living up to his contract and helping their awful defense. They’re likely to continue losing and there’s a real shot their pick is within the top 10. Imagine if the Jets used that pick on a true number one cornerback.

The Jets own Carolina’s second-round pick as well, which has the potential to be towards the top of the round considering how horrendous Sam Darnold has looked. Two high second-round picks would be crucial in trade-up potential.

Things aren’t going to get better for the Jets until next year at least. We can hope Zach Wilson returns from injury and shows promise, but he can do that while the defense sucks. With the potentially franchise-changing amount of high draft picks in the 2022 draft if things go right, the Jets need to simply continue to lose. Jets fans are used to it anyway.