The Jets and Aaron Rodgers - A Love Story

March 17th. Yes, today is St. Patrick’s Day. And while those who celebrate will pack the bars and pubs and sing and dance, other individuals, those who are in lockstep with the football community, may remember this an as anniversary of some sorts. Five years ago today, the New York Jets traded up for the number three draft selection in the 2018 NFL Draft where they selected Sam Darnold. There is no reason to revisit those tumultuous years for the sake of Jets fans reading this, but it is important to note for the rest this love story. Fast forward to now, and the Jets organization are on their third head coach (Bowles, Case, Saleh), their second general manager (Maccagnan, Douglas) and have been through a litany of starting quarterbacks (too many to name).

This past season saw gang green finish 7-10, but also had the rookie of the year on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. How rare is that? It has only happened twice since the Super Bowl era (1967 Detroit Lions, 2017 New Orleans Saints). One would think that two rookies of the year, coupled with players like Quinnen Williams, CJ Mosley, and DJ Reed amongst some others would have finished above .500. Alas, the Jets did not, and their playoff-less streak extended to a league leading twelve years. And the only saving grace for the Jets fan was that they did not have the longest playoff drought within the four major sports. Well, that is going to end - the NBA’s Sacramento Kings are currently 42-27 and will end their sixteen year long playoff drought. Once that officially happens, the Jets (and the Buffalo Sabres) will own the longest droughts in sports.