Amid a three-game losing streak, the New York Jets (2-4) have pushed all their chips to the center of the table, but will their aggressiveness be enough to turn the season around?
On Tuesday, New York struck a blockbuster deal with the Las Vegas Raiders, trading a 2025 conditional third-round draft pick for star WR Davante Adams, 31. The price to reunite Adams with his former Packers teammate QB Aaron Rodgers is steep, but it’s worth the risk for Jets GM Joe Douglas, who’s taking another massive swing to save his job.
During their eight seasons together in Green Bay, Adams caught 615 passes for 7,529 yards and 68 touchdowns from Rodgers, making the two one of the more prolific QB-WR duos in NFL history. On the surface, the rekindling of the connection seems like it should provide the spark that the Jets offense, which ranks 22nd in points and yardage, desperately needs.
Even so, although Rodgers will likely see an uptick in production, the addition of Adams won’t change much for the Jets. Aside from the fact that Adams is on the wrong side of 30 and has seen his performance decline in recent years, the six-time Pro Bowler simply can’t mask New York’s more significant shortcomings.
As mentioned, the Jets offense has struggled mightily to begin the season, a factor that played a role in owner Woody Johnson’s decision to fire former HC Robert Saleh last week. The receiving corps hasn’t gelled how the team envisioned, as evidenced by their 11 drops this season, the fifth most among teams. However, New York’s offensive woes go beyond the unit’s inconsistent play.
After watching the Jets offensive line allow the fourth-most sacks in the NFL last season (64), Douglas made it a goal to revamp the unit. He added OTs Tyron Smith, Morgan Moses and Olu Fashanu and guard John Simpson during the offseason.
On paper, these would seem to be substantial upgrades, but that hasn’t been the case through six games. Not only has Rodgers been sacked 16 times — the sixth most among quarterbacks this season — but the Jets O-line also ranks 25th in pass-block win rate and 28th in run-block win rate.
Even though Rodgers might be able to get the ball out of his hands quicker with Adams on the field, it’s hard to imagine the wideout’s presence will help the offensive line improve dramatically, if at all.
Adams surely won’t aid the Jets in overcoming their lack of discipline, perhaps an even greater area of weakness than the offensive line, given that penalties have been an issue on both sides of the ball. So far this season, New York has been penalized 50 times, the second most among teams, trailing only the Houston Texans.
With the sixth-easiest remaining schedule, according to Tankathon, New York has the potential to string together several more wins. Nonetheless, it faces an uphill battle to reach the postseason. Per ESPN’s Football Power Index, the Jets have just a 46% chance of reaching the playoffs, the eighth-best odds in the AFC.
Trading for Adams will keep Rodgers happy and fans off Johnson’s back for now. However, given the other holes on the roster, coupled with the team’s disastrous start to the season, it’s fair to say the deal wasn’t completed early enough to make a season-saving impact.
