Jets GM Joe Douglas on Super Bowl talk with Aaron Rodgers at QB: ‘We’re not running or hiding from any expectations’
8/31/2023 In previous seasons, you wouldn’t dare mention the Jets and playoffs in the same breath. But this is not your father’s Gang Green squad. The expectations around the organization changed the moment Aaron Rodgers was traded to the team in April.
Jets general manager Joe Douglas constructed this team as he’s fully embracing the team’s lofty expectations. “I’ve said it earlier we are not running or hiding from any expectations that are out there,” Douglas told reporters on Thursday. “When the dust settles, we want to be in the conversation as one of those teams that can compete for a Super Bowl.
“You get a ticket to the dance and anything can happen. I think with the training camp that we’ve had, I think the job of the players and the job that the coaching staff has done, we’re ready. “We are not really looking further than the Buffalo Bills.
Three-time defending AFC East champions coming into MetLife [Stadium], so we know what kind of task that is to compete against them. Then, after that, we are going down to Dallas in a hostile environment. We are just going to take this one day and week at a time.
” Rodgers’ presence has been felt on the field and inside the locker room. During team meetings watching film, Rodgers will quiz his teammates to see if they’re on the same page with the entire offense. He will also check their understanding of specific plays to see how they handle audibles at the line of scrimmage.
One of his recent noteworthy acts was taking a $35 million pay cut as he had nearly $110 million guaranteed on his old contract he signed with the Packers. Rodgers signed a new two-year deal with $75 million guaranteed through 2024. “It’s truly an unselfish thing,” Douglas said about Rodgers taking a big pay cut.
“It’s going to give us great flexibility moving forward and allow us to be aggressive if other opportunities present themselves. “It’s almost like an unspoken thing, there’s a reason why you’re doing this. It’s going to give us great flexibility moving forward.
” It’s technically a five-year deal, but it includes two option years to spread out the prorated bonus. Rodgers’ 2023 cap number is reportedly just under $9 million, giving the Jets some flexibility to continue building their roster. Currently, the Jets have over $20 million in salary cap space available as the season begins.
While the Jets may not make any immediate moves, they could make a big splash at the trade deadline. Corey Davis stunningly retired last week, which left a void in the wide receiver corps. If the Jets have the season many expect, they could add a player or two before the NFL trade deadline on Oct.
31. Douglas has been the Jets GM since 2019, but the team hasn’t sniffed the playoffs during his time in Florham Park. Last season, the Jets were on track to make the playoffs for the first time since 2010 with a 7-4 record after 11 games.
However, they lost their final six games of the season to end the year 7-10 and in last place in the AFC East. After adding a future Hall of Famer to the fold, the pressure to win is at an all-time high for Douglas and Jets coach Robert Saleh. Gang Green currently has the longest playoff drought among the four major American professional men’s sports league If the team doesn’t make the playoffs in 2023, there could be significant changes within the organization.
However, Douglas says he doesn’t feel any more pressure this year than during his previous four seasons as general manager. “Yeah, you feel pressure to win every day you walk in here, but I feel like you embrace that. “I feel like it’s always been there, whether things are going good or things are going bad.
It’s just life in the National Football League. Every day you walk into the building, you don’t want to let your teammates down, you don’t want to let the players down, the staff down. ” .