By signing Dalvin Cook, New York Jets confirm they’re all-in

With the latest signing of Dalvin Cook, the New York Jets officially are following the Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford model of going “all in” to build a super team around an aging QB.

Tom Brady did it with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Matthew Stafford with the Los Angeles Rams, and now, possibly, the New York Jets with Aaron Rodgers.

This is the era of building a super team around an aging All-Pro quarterback. Gang Green is hoping they can endure the same success the two predecessors before them enjoyed, and their latest signing confirms they are “all-in” this season.

Pro Bowler Dalvin Cook, fresh out of the Minnesota Vikings run to a division title, has now exchanged purple for green. It’s a signing that on paper, stacks up to excellence, but just how will it all work.

The New York Jets choosing to sign Dalvin Cook means they are all in for 2023-24, a risk with high rewards and major disappointments.

Make no mistake about it. If this season goes awry, the blame will fall on the team, head coach, and everyone associated with the franchise. That includes Aaron Rodgers. The blame towards Brady and Stafford had either of them failed would have been palpably excruciating. So why would the Jets be absolved?

They won’t, even if supporters perform mental gymnastics to provide excuses. New York felt they had a team that could compete for a championship, and they made these investments believing that their vision was correct. Recent drafts, including the ones that brought Sauce Gardner and Garrett Wilson to the team only add to that belief.

When the Buccaneers in 2020 began their journey, they were considered to be a hot commodity, until they fell into a Wild Card berth when doubt began to creep in. They went on to win the Super Bowl. The Rams in 2021, a bit of a struggle themselves, but they won the division and captured a Super Bowl title as well.

Unlike those two, even if the Jets were to be the last team standing at the end of the year, they would be celebrating in Vegas as opposed to MetLife. Would they care? Probably not, but they would be wise to temper their expectations just a bit because of what could potentially go wrong.