Before week one of the NFL season, the New York Jets had the seventh-best odds to win the Super Bowl. Today, the Jets have the sixth-best odds to land a top-five pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The Jets currently hold the longest active playoff drought at 12 seasons and are showing no signs of breaking that streak this season. The Jets traded for Aaron Rodgers to give themselves a serious chance to win, but everything went south on the fourth snap of his Jets tenure. Although Rodgers had to leave the game, the Jets were able to beat the Buffalo Bills on opening night. This led people to believe that Zach Wilson might have come into his own as the franchise quarterback.
The Jets managed to survive the early season schedule with a record of 4-3 and looked to be on pace to make a wild card appearance. However, things changed after they lost five games in a row. The Jets offense averages less than 20 points on the season, making them statistically one of the worst offensive teams in the sports history (since the Super Bowl era started).
The Jets went from Super Bowl contenders to a bottom-five team in just a couple of months, but there still is a way to make this season worth something. With Aaron Rodgers confirming he will be back with the team next season, this draft pick allows the Jets to fix their two glaringly obvious holes on offense, which is offensive tackle and wide receiver.
The 2024 wide receiver free agent class is stacked. New York could sign wide receivers like Calvin Ridley, Mike Evans, or Tyler Boyd, which gives them an immediate upgrade at the WR2 position.
There have also been reports since October that Davante Adams wants to reunite with Aaron Rodgers next season. According to sources, the asking price for him would be less than a first-round pick, but pairing Adams with Garrett Wilson would immediately make them a top-three WR duo in the NFL.
The 2024 offensive tackle market isn’t very good, but this is where the draft pick comes into play. If the season ended today, the Jets would have the sixth pick, projecting them to land one of the two highest-graded tackles in the draft; Olumuyiwa Fashanu from Penn State, and Joe Alt from Notre Dame.
Alt is a three-year starter and is a finalist for the prestigious Lombardi award while Fashanu won the Rimington-Pace offensive lineman of the year award this season. According to scouts, both tackles are can’t miss prospects.
With the Jets benching Zach Wilson, it has become clear that they don’t plan on winning games. Although this sucks for Jets fans, they should think about the future. If the Jets keep losing games, then there is a good chance that they will be able to get one of the two highest-graded tackle prospects in the draft and should also be able to trade/sign a WR. Although times are dark for the Jets, the sun shall rise again if they play their cards right.
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