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Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff Writer
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, trying to create a winning culture for 2024, offered a few words advice for the organization.
“Flush the bulls—,” he said Monday.
Rodgers, responding to a question about what can be learned from the 7-10 season, said the Jets need to eliminate distractions. The four-time MVP, who created headlines throughout the year with his weekly TV appearances on “The Pat McAfee Show” — most recently last week with controversial remarks about talk show host Jimmy Kimmel — said the organization must maintain a singular focus to shed its losing ways.
“Anything in this building that we’re doing individually or collectively that has nothing to do with real winning needs to be assessed,” Rodgers told reporters, adding:
“If you want to be a winning organization and put yourself in position to win championships and be competitive, everything that you do matters. And the bulls— that has nothing to do with winning needs to get out of the building. So that’ll be the focus moving forward. That’s the focus of these [exit interviews].”
Rodgers didn’t cite any specific examples, but the inference was that he wasn’t happy with certain things. He said the organizational focus can’t be a “half-the-time thing. It’s not a sometimes thing, it’s not a most-of-the-time thing. It’s an every-time thing.”
The Jets have been in the national spotlight since last February, when they started courting the former Green Bay Packers star. Rodgers mania, combined with the team’s appearance on HBO’s “Hard Knocks,” created unprecedented media coverage. Pro Bowl cornerback Sauce Gardner, calling them distractions, said Monday, “We really lost track of some things.”
Ironically, Rodgers’ presence created most of the attention, some of it unwanted. He sparked a firestorm last week when discussing the release of the sealed Jeffrey Epstein court documents. Rodgers said there are “a lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel, who are hoping that doesn’t come out.” Kimmel, who works for Disney-owned ABC, fired back on social media, threatening Rodgers with legal action. ESPN, which broadcasts McAfee’s show, issued a statement, saying Rodgers’ comments were “dumb and factually inaccurate.”
Rodgers declined to address the matter Monday in a session with reporters who regularly cover the Jets.
“I’m going to talk about it [Tuesday] on the show,” he said. “Tune in.”
Speaking of the season, Rodgers — who tore his Achilles on the fourth play — called it “a lost year” for him, personally. He sounded optimistic about next season, saying the team has “great cornerstone foundational pieces.” Once again, the Jets will be under the spotlight, and the pressure will be intense, especially for Rodgers and coach Robert Saleh, who will return despite an 18-33 record.
“Obviously, we’re all going to be on the hot seat next year,” Rodgers said. “It’s going to be an important year for all of us, and I love that.”
Saleh declined to characterize it as a playoffs-or-bust year for him even though he has yet to deliver a winning season. The Jets have gone eight years without a winning record and 13 years without a playoff berth — the longest active droughts in the league. Saleh focused on the positives, noting how they beat three playoff teams and defeated the New England Patriots for the first time in 16 tries.
“If you want to be a winning organization and put yourself in position to win championships and be competitive, everything that you do matters. And the bulls— that has nothing to do with winning needs to get out of the building.”
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Aaron Rodgers
“We exorcised a lot of demons this year,” he said. “There’s still a lot of demons we have to exorcise, with playoffs and winning the division and all that good stuff, but our locker room stayed together when it would’ve been very easy for the offense and defense to get segregated.”
General manager Joe Douglas, who signed a six-year contract in June, 2019, has a 27-56 record. He knows that time is running out to get it turned around.
“We need to win,” Douglas said. “My record isn’t good enough. And I know that. Everything we do moving forward is to win, and that’s it. That’s all that matters.”
Saleh said he’s not planning any significant staff changes, meaning embattled offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett — a Rodgers ally — will return despite finishing 31st in total yards. Rodgers said one of his motivations in 2024 is to prove that Hackett’s offense can be successful with the Jets.
The narrative around the team is that Rodgers’ return will fix everything, but star wide receiver Garrett Wilson raised questions about Hackett, suggesting the Jets were outschemed on offense. He finished with 95 catches for 1,042 yards, but he was frustrated by the outcome, saying, “I hear I had a good year. It’s the worst year of my life, though. That’s the reality of it.
“What happened this season can’t happen again. … It’s got to be better,” Wilson said. “We’ve got to make adjustments in the game. We’ve got to do things to counter what we’re getting and be able to put points on the board, because honestly, in the two years I’ve been here, it’s been tough. It’s been tough going.
“Football hasn’t been this hard as far as offense. I watch it on the sideline, and it doesn’t look that hard for the other team. We’ve got to figure something out to get it rolling, no matter who’s slinging it. I know Aaron will be an offense in itself because that’s just what he brings to the table. … He’s special, man. I pray that everyone in the world gets to see that next year. But, yeah, what happened this year can’t happen again.”
In the end, Rodgers’ injury in Week 1 proved too much to overcome, as the Jets struggled with quarterback inconsistency. Douglas all but acknowledged that Zach Wilson will be replaced as Rodgers’ backup, saying there’s a “high probability” that they will look for a veteran insurance policy. Douglas didn’t rule out trading Wilson, who is under contract for 2024.
“Every team has adversity,” Douglas said. “So, sitting here as a general manager, and for the last two years having our team defined by not being able to overcome the adversity, that’s a tough thing and that’s directly on me. I take ownership of that.”
