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Could the 2023 New York Jets be the 2022 Denver Broncos?

By Lou Scataglia

NFL Picks; New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (left) and owner Woody Johnson pose for a photo during the introductory press conference at Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Tom Horak-USA TODAY Sports
NFL Picks; New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (left) and owner Woody Johnson pose for a photo during the introductory press conference at Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Tom Horak-USA TODAY Sports /
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The New York Jets feel like a good bet to be a breakout team in 2023 with Aaron Rodgers under center, but the Denver Broncos are lurking in the back.  When the Denver Broncos traded for Russell Wilson last offseason, the NFL all focused their attention on the Broncos as being the team to break out in 2022 with Wilson under center.

The future Hall of Famer had spent the first decade of his career with the Seattle Seahawks and had made nine Pro Bowls and won a Super Bowl title.  His growing philosophical disagreement with Pete Carroll seemed to be the crux of the reason why he is no longer a Seahawk.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last year, you’ll know that the Broncos stunk in 2022.  They had high hopes–perhaps playoff hopes, but barely won five games.  The main reason why, to me, was due to injuries and bad coaching from Nathaniel Hackett and his staff, but Russell Wilson does deserve some of the blame.

Well, the New York Jets find themselves in a similar situation this year as the Broncos did last year.  They’re riding a huge wave from the acquisition of Aaron Rodgers, and they have every right to.  After years of being irrelevant and not making the playoffs, they look and feel like a playoff team in 2023.

However, so did the 2022 Broncos.  Perhaps the New York Jets are going to let us all down?  The similarities are there, and one of the most obvious ones is Nathaniel Hackett being on the Jets’ staff as the offensive coordinator and play-caller.

There’s also clearly an urgency to win here, which is what the Broncos had in 2022.  Both teams played and are playing in above-average divisions with other great QBs.

Both teams made a huge trade for aging, veteran quarterbacks who might be past their prime.

I mean, the similarities are clear.  I’m not rooting for one thing or the other, but what is obvious is that if there’s one team who can be a huge letdown in 2023, it just might be the New York Jets.

Aaron Rodgers had a down 2022 season, much different than his back-to-back MVP awards in 2020 and 2021.  Many might attribute that to not having Davante Adams, but shouldn’t an elite QB be able to make it work with what he has?  I mean, it’s not like the Packers had no effective pass-catchers.

With many of Rodgers’ former teammates also being signed by the New York Jets this offseason, there truly are no excuses, and everything indicating that they’ll be a good team could all come crashing down.

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