'Let's go all in' - why it's now or never for Rodgers & the Jets

Coming into nan 2023 season, location was much hype surrounding nan New York Jets than ever before.

Since winning Super Bowl 3 measurement backmost successful 1969, nan Jets’ history has been littered pinch calamities and disaster.

All that was expected to alteration erstwhile they lured seasoned backmost Aaron Rodgers, nan NFL’s four-time Most Valuable Player, from nan Green Bay Packers.

Both parties crave a 2nd Super Bowl appearance, but conscionable 4 snaps into his Jets career, disaster struck again arsenic Rodgers tore his Achilles.

The 40-year-old has now recovered and nan Jets person bolstered what was already 1 of nan strongest rosters successful nan NFL.

So, coming into nan 2024 campaign, linebackers CJ Mosley and Quincy Williams show BBC Sport why nan Jets consciousness now is nan clip to yet get backmost to nan large game.

Rodgers' wounded thrust struggling youngster Zach Wilson backmost into nan firing statement and nan Jets utilized 4 different starting quarterbacks complete nan people of past season.

They still managed to grind retired a 7-10 grounds - acknowledgment mostly to their defence – and successful Tyrod Taylor nan Jets person brought successful a much seasoned, reliable back-up astatine QB, conscionable successful lawsuit Rodgers is again ruled out.

Williams, 28, says: “[Last season] was a roller coaster, but nan biggest point is that nan squad stayed together, nary matter what nan extracurricular sound was.

“At nan opening of nan season, we ran into a small adversity, but we each kept fighting. Every week nan extremity was to spell 1-0. Sometimes we didn’t get that, but we went into nan adjacent week pinch nan aforesaid mindset.”

Although Mosley says past play was yet “a failure”, nan 32-year-old agrees nan adversity nan Jets faced has made them stronger.

“Aaron going down was reliable for nan full squad but you person to bounce backmost aliases regroup,” he adds.

“A batch of things didn’t spell our way, but we grew together. Some way, immoderate how, we were capable to get backmost up and improve. We could easy person discontinue but we vanished disconnected nan twelvemonth strong.

“I person a title mentality and I made judge I kept my mindset correct to lead nan team. I kept playing arsenic if number 8 (Rodgers) was still throwing nan shot for america nan full season, truthful erstwhile he does travel back, location won’t beryllium immoderate daze erstwhile we’re putting points connected nan board.”

After moving from nan NFL’s smallest marketplace to nan biggest, Rodgers threw himself into life successful nan Big Apple.

He whitethorn move successful different circles to nan remainder of nan Jets’ squad but arsenic Mosley explains, he still acts arsenic 1 of nan guys.

“He’s a typical person,” he says. “He’s really an A-list celebrity. You perceive to immoderate of his stories and it’s mind-blowing. He’ll casually mention hanging retired pinch MJ (Michael Jordan).

“He’s not surviving a normal life, but extracurricular of that he’s laid-back, very approachable, and he loves to beryllium astir his team-mates. It’s crazy that I get to opportunity he’s my boy.”

The Jets haven’t reached nan play-offs since nan 2010 season. It isn’t conscionable nan longest progressive play-off drought successful nan NFL, it’s nan longest successful US men’s sport.

But Rodgers has proven to beryllium nan leader they person been crying retired for, instilling a winning mentality among nan players.

“He's an power person, man,” adds Williams. “As soon arsenic he came into nan facility, his power was felt. He's besides 1 of those gold-jacket guys (future Hall of Famer), truthful thing he says, thing he critiques, oh, we listen.

“The biggest point is that, nary matter wherever you are connected nan totem pole, he treats you nan aforesaid - from nan janitors to nan owner.

“Any clip you’ve sewage immoderate questions, you tin conscionable spell inquire him. Off-season, if you want to train pinch him, he’s for illustration ‘I’m present for you’. He moreover ran nan believe squad a fewer times for america (when injured).”

Williams joined nan Jets successful 2021, nan aforesaid twelvemonth caput coach Robert Saleh took charge. Previously a protect coordinator, he has turned nan Jets’ defence into 1 of nan NFL’s best.

And though they struggled connected offence past season, they’ve brought successful a much reliable back-up for Rodgers and recovered him greater protection connected nan violative line.

Not only did nan Jets prime Olu Fashanu pinch their first draught prime but they person besides brought successful veterans Morgan Moses, John Simpson and Tyron Smith.

They should thief springiness Rodgers much clip to prime retired receivers specified arsenic caller signing Mike Williams, who will connection a greater downfield threat.

Most person signed short-term deals, while Rodgers is not guaranteed to play successful 2025, truthful Williams says it’s “very important” nan Jets make nan astir of their opportunity this season.

“It’s our 4th twelvemonth together, arsenic acold arsenic a squad and a coaching staff,” he says. “The first 2 years were much for illustration figuring america out, we were benignant of a young team.

“Third twelvemonth was for illustration ‘alright, let’s spot what we’ve got’. Now I consciousness for illustration it’s ‘alright y’all, let's spell each in. It’s clip now’. That’s nan mindset we’ve sewage now. The Super Bowl’s nan goal.”

The Jets person launched a caller kit for this season, which is simply a motion to their ascendant defence from nan early 1980s, known arsenic nan New York Sack Exchange.

Now Mosley, 1 of nan Jets’ longest-serving players having signed successful 2019, has challenged nan existent squad to create their ain bequest - arsenic Super Bowl winners.

“It’s awesome to salary respect to them, they had a batch of nosy connected nan field,” he adds. “Whenever they made a large play they were up celebrating, and that's what we person to do this year.

“We’ve group ourselves up to triumph a championship. Anything little than that and we’re wasting our clip here. We want to do thing special. It’s clip to put immoderate wins connected nan committee and make things happen.”