The 2023 New York Jets could be captured in two photos: The hopeful beginning, as flag-waving Aaron Rodgers led his new teammates onto the field at MetLife Stadium before the opening game, and moments later, as the would-be franchise savior was helped off the field with a season-ending Achilles tendon injury.
But in conversations with 30 sources within and around the team, The Athletic uncovers deeper issues that further sabotaged the Jets' efforts to survive without Rodgers at center.
“It’s just such a damn mess,” a Jets coach told The Athletic. “Something has to change.”
Wednesday's report paints the Jets as a rudderless ship: Sources describe Rodgers as the de facto general manager ahead of real GM Joe Douglas, while the quarterback's hand-picked offensive coordinator, Nathaniel Hackett, is accused of losing players' trust.
Additionally, head coach Robert Saleh was said to be obsessed with negative press, and although he publicly defended backup quarterback Zach Wilson, he was said to have privately blamed Rodgers' replacement for the Jets' problems.
Injured Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers looks on during a game Jan. 7 in New England
Jets head coach Robert Saleh grimaces during the team's game against the Giants on October 29
The highlight of the Jets' season came in the opening game when Rodgers led the team onto the field
Rodgers' season ended in the first quarter against the Bills when he injured his ankle
The Jets declined to speak to The Athletic for the article, and Rodgers did not respond to interview requests.
Instead, anonymous sources, including coaches and players, spoke out against a toxic football team that made more excuses in 2023 than anyone would admit publicly.
An unnamed coach said he was troubled by Hackett's poor preparation after the Rodgers injury and said he had never seen a team do so little scouting on opponents.
To many, the organization seemed resigned to its fate, even after Wilson pulled off a miraculous season-opening victory over the Buffalo Bills to replace Rodgers.
Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett
Hackett, who previously coached Rodgers with the Green Bay Packers, has been accused of failing to adapt after Rodgers' injury and instead opting to game plan as if the four-time MVP was still at his disposal.
And Hackett wasn't alone in his respect for Rodgers.
“That's what Aaron wants” was a common phrase at the Jets' facility in Florham Park, New Jersey, according to the report.
During training camp, when Rodgers reportedly disagreed with a particular play instruction, he reset the offense to do whatever he wanted.
For his part, Saleh was very cautious about the offensive, according to the report.
As defensive coordinator in San Francisco before joining the Jets in 2021, Saleh's offensive concerns were primarily limited to Wilson, who was reportedly reluctant to be reinserted into the starting lineup at the end of the season.
Fearing that he would get hurt behind an injury-depleted offensive line (spoiler: he suffered a concussion), Wilson's desire to stay off the field after he was benched in December eventually leaked out to the press, which is what Saleh did prompted to look for the source.
“If you come forward now, you won’t get in trouble,” Saleh reportedly told the team, threatening to take their phones away.
The Jets brought in Allen Lazard in a $44 million deal to reunite the receiver with Rodgers
The source was never revealed, but Saleh's apparent media paranoia only grew worse.
Saleh feared he would end up like Vic Fangio, a respected defensive coordinator who got the Broncos head coaching job only to have it undone by a lackluster offense, and was reportedly obsessed with the team's coverage.
According to The Athletic, Saleh often wondered why the New York Giants received better press than his team.
Complicating matters, according to the report, was the presence of owner Woody Johnson, who read not only the local tabloids but also fan comments on social media before relaying his own concerns to Saleh.
As for Douglas, he is almost spared in the report, but only because Rodgers is perceived as the one calling the shots at Florham Park.
“Rodgers is not the assistant GM,” an AFC general manager told The Athletic. “Joe Douglas is the assistant GM.”
Jets star Garrett Wilson told The Athletic: “Whatever happened this season can’t happen again.”
Not only did the Jets add Hackett to get Rodgers to agree to a trade before the season, but New York also added former Green Bay receivers Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb, not to mention several other ex-Packers.
Rodgers also wanted left tackle David Bakhtiari and tight end Marcedes Lewis, but the Jets didn't acquire them from Green Bay,
All return in 2024, but Saleh has reportedly made noise about bolstering the offensive staff under Hackett.
Whether or not that's enough remains unclear, but one thing is clear: It's the Jets' 31st-ranked offense — and not their third-ranked defense — that is responsible for their disastrous 2023 season.
“What happened this season can’t happen again,” receiver Garrett Wilson told The Athletic. “We have to make adjustments in the game, we have to do things to counter what we get and be able to score points because it has been tough for the two years I have been here.”
“Football has never been so difficult. “When I look at it from the sideline, it doesn’t look that hard for the other team, so we’ve got to come up with something to get it rolling no matter who’s playing it.”