Aaron Rodgers' Jets honeymoon is on its last legs

FOXBOROUGH, Mass – From the day he walked into their lives, there wasn't a soul among the Jets from top to bottom who couldn't stop telling the world how Aaron Rodgers raised the standards of everyone in the building and how he lifted everyone up with his football wisdom and the kind of magical right arm that none of them had ever seen.

The honeymoon is on its last legs.

If Rodgers wants to reserve this fine New York legacy only for legends, he'd better start building it now.

He has thrown six interceptions in his last three games and is the not-so-proud owner of a 40-year-old hamstring, a 40-year-old knee and a 40-year-old ankle.

But it's always been foolish to leave him out, even though he's never been a 40-year-old jet and, thankfully, more help has arrived than anyone expected.

Rodgers tried as best he could to change the culture, but within days the Jets told us that it was Davante Adams, his all-time favorite receiver, who miraculously changed them.

If that's the case, we can expect more energy, juice, zest for life and TEAM from the Jeff Ulbrich Jets on Sunday against the Patriots, as well as more mental toughness in the face of adversity.

And Haason Reddick, no matter how long he plays in his long-awaited Jets debut, will help Will McDonald and Quinnen Williams chase Drake Maye if Rodgers can take the lead and keep it this time.

If Rodgers has a “savior” in him, he should realize that he needs to save a season in jeopardy, and he needs to do it now.

“I have to be a great leader,” Rodgers said this week. “It starts with me and I will set the tone this week.”

Actually, it started from the beginning for him, that day 19 months ago when he walked into the Atlantic Health Jets training facility and noticed the lone Super Bowl III Lombardi Trophy, still desperately searching for a companion after all these years.

This is not the time to even say the words Super Bowl. That can and should rest for now – where even Joe Namath might be cautious about guaranteeing a win, even against these Patriots.

The Jets have been a pit for franchise quarterbacks and veteran mercenaries young and old for decades. No one could have imagined that future first-ballot Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers would suffer the same fate.

He's 2-5 as the Jets' starting quarterback, and no one cares that he'd be 4-3 if Greg Zuerlein had made the field goals he's being paid to make.

Rodgers wasn't brought to 4-3, let alone 2-5.

He had seven games to shake off the rust from his lost 2023 season.

He had two games to get used to interim coach Jeff Ulbrich and new playcaller Todd Downing.

He had a game to renew his vows with Adams.

No excuses.

That won't be Tom Brady and Bill Belichick on the other side. It will be Jerod Mayo, a rookie head coach, and Maye, a rookie first-round pick making his third NFL start, and Mayo's soft defense. Last month, it was against the Patriots, and only against the Patriots, that Rodgers resembled MVP Aaron.

That quarterback is gone.

The burden of proof is now on him to raise the standard of his own game and improve his own game and that of those around him. The burden of proving that age is just a number is on him, two months after his 41st birthday.

Of course, his challenge is made all the more daunting because this is the Woody Johnson Jets, where misfortune, chaos and turmoil relentlessly rear their ugly heads.

The offensive line, which was bolstered in the offseason to keep him upright, has all too often left him banged up and sore.

But blame the playcaller and Rodgers, since this is his offense, for making the run game a true afterthought. What happened to the angry bull visions of 220-pound Breece Hall and 240-pound freshman Braelon Allen imposing their will on a defense?

Against the Vikings, the pass-run ratio was 54-14. Against the Bills it was 35-21. Against the Steelers it was 39-15.

Run the damn ball!

In another era, Namath (17 of 28, 206 yards, zero touchdowns, zero interceptions) won Super Bowl III while leaning heavily on FB Matt Snell (30 of 121 rushing with a touchdown, 4 of 40 receiving). .

And it would be nice if Ulbrich's beloved defense showed more swagger than it did in the first half against the Bills and in both halves against the Steelers.

It's troubling that the Jets resemble a group of independent contractors looking for an identity and a paycheck. Remember the 2011 Eagles? Who imported big names and branded themselves as a dream team? They lost eight of their first twelve games.

Ulbrich learns spontaneously. For him as interim coach it is a mistake. The owner used Rodgers as a deodorant. It's time for Rodgers to clear the stink.

After all the hype, all the hubbub and all the headlines, it's time for Rodgers to find a way to win and keep winning. If that's too much to ask, then he and the Jets will retreat into the same old darkness together.