Sure, Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams walked through that door on Sunday. Sure, the portrayal of grumpy old men has turned into a dynamic duo, when the playoffs are no longer on the line, but draft positioning most certainly is. Of course, this happened when all the important people were fired and the only ones fighting for the second marriage of Rodgers and Adams’ careers are the quarterback and his favorite receiver.
Of course. Because it’s the New York Jets.
That’s what I was thinking late in the fourth quarter of the New York Jets’ 32-25 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, as Rodgers took advantage of a clean pocket and threw an undeniably impressive touchdown dart from 71 yards to Adams. It was the story of the Green Bay Packers: Rodgers effortlessly running a rope across the middle of the field as Adams ruthlessly split a pair of defenders in coverage. The ball came down slightly over Adams’ left shoulder and perfectly in a two-handed cradle – at full stride. The two defenders on either side of Adams were powerless to stop him, and even a third defender in line getting a clear shot to tackle him at the 5-yard line couldn’t stop the touchdown.
Halfway across the field, Rodgers ran, screamed and pumped his fist, capturing what might be his most joyous moment of this lost season. During that highlight – maybe 30 seconds – everything was possible again and nothing else mattered. Not the 10 defeats with three difficult matches remaining on the schedule. It’s not the upper echelons of the organization that have already exploded. It wasn’t team owner Woody Johnson who reportedly floated the idea of benching Rodgers a few months ago. Not the looming guillotine of the upcoming offseason, when a decision will be made to either blow up this team further and start over…or possibly keep it together and hope for different results.
Instead, in this game, Rodgers and Adams took everyone in the time machine and reminded us that who they are can still be who they were. To the tune of nine completed passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns. It was the most prolific performance between Rodgers and any of his Jets receivers, an outing capable of sparking what could have been emotions between the quarterback and wideout.
“Yeah, yeah, it is (just like old times), except he dropped one,” Rodgers said afterward with a smile. “And I missed him on the next big third down. But yeah, (Davante) is a fantastic player. He dropped this one and said he had his dreads removed. Whether it was true or not, it seemed like an excuse.
This was Rodgers in his happy, playful mode. In a season that only produced four wins, you take the wind at your back when you get it. Although it does raise the question of where that kind of performance has been since the Jets acquired Adams two months ago in the hopes that his connection with Rodgers could turn the season around. Rodgers also wondered.
“Yes, of course,” he said on Sunday. “You know, it’s too little, too late. But it remains special. This doesn’t spoil it at all. That doesn’t take away from the fun. That doesn’t take away from the fun we’re going to have on the bus later, then on the plane… it’s still going to be special. They are always special. But it was a year for things where we were close but we kind of let it get away from us in the middle of the season.
That reality could have defined the message Rodgers and Adams sent Sunday: Yes, the season is dead. No, as a tandem we are not. This all sets up an audition of sorts, with Rodgers and Adams wanting to play next season — together. Whether with the Jets or elsewhere. Perhaps with the Tennessee Titans, who are closing in on needing to move on from turnover machine Will Levis and may need a one-year transition quarterback to get to better options of draft in 2026. This is perhaps a one-year transitional role for New York. Giants or Las Vegas Raiders, if either franchise is toying with the idea of redshirting Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward in 2025. Or maybe it’s just a matter of camping out for another season and to ride with these same Jets. team for one last chance to achieve something, anything, better than the immense disappointments of 2023 and 2024.
Given what’s happened this season for the Jets — and a coming regime that will likely want to clear the decks — it’s hard to imagine this latest development happening. Of course, that’s before considering what other options the Jets have. Barring a trade that would be unwise in this weak quarterback draft, they likely won’t have better than the third or fourth best quarterback on the draft board at their disposal. And this QB may not even be worthy of a first-round pick. Unless hell freezes over, top free agent quarterback Sam Darnold won’t return to play for the Jets. The trade options for veterans aren’t great. And while Rodgers isn’t cheap to keep (he’s set to receive a $35 million option bonus at the start of the 2025 season, along with a $2.5 million base salary), he There might be a way to negotiate that he and Adams take pay cuts to stay. around and play together.
Even for Rodgers and Adams, returning to the Jets might be their best and only chance to continue playing together. Which seems to be a priority for both in 2025.
There aren’t a multitude of quarterback depth charts across the league that make a Rodgers addition reasonable, let alone Rodgers. And Adams. And if they can somehow pull a rabbit out of a hat in the remaining three games — including winnable home games against the Los Angeles Rams and Miami Dolphins — and one game scary on the road against a Buffalo Bills team that is probably the best in the NFL. Right now, some attitudes could be changing within the Jets.
Finishing 7-10 and with a four-fight winning streak isn’t really good. But a sales pitch could include an offseason of Rodgers and Adams working together, as well as tweaking the roster with a new general manager and head coach. There is fresh air for sale. Whether anyone buys it will depend on how the next three weeks go.
For his part, Rodgers seemed to move better against the Jaguars. Not only was he sliding around the pocket, but he was accessing his running ability. It was a far cry from most of the season, where he seemed to have lost much of his athleticism from the waist down. Instead, Rodgers had an unexpected dynamism and used it to create a handful of tantalizing moments with Adams. He finished with six carries for 45 yards, after totaling just 56 rushing yards in the first 13 games of the season.
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“Today was one of those days in the second half, it was really very similar to how we used to get things going,” Adams said. “You’ll never be able to feel that way, but even being around Aaron, it was very different. Obviously, since he’s mobile now, without it (hamstring) nagging him in the same way it was when I got here, he can be on the run like that – I think teams are kind of starting to get to us play as they were. when he was not (mobile). He will make you pay. He’s not going to run 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, maybe even 4.6 (40-yard dash), but in 10-yard spurts, he still has it.
In a season of mostly thunderstorms, it was a sliver of sunlight breaking through a gray ceiling. A selling point in a final act of this 2024 Jets tragedy, complete with uplifting moments arriving when there really isn’t much left to bring up. All that remains to be seen is how this plays out and whether there is anything salvageable left for 2025.
Both for the Jets and the future of their too-little, too-late stars.
