USA Today has flipped its predictions from a year ago, with the New York Jets falling from Super Bowl favorites to playoff absentees.
It’s been an interesting offseason for the Jets. Back in January, the franchise cut ties with Aaron Rodgers, ending his turbulent two-year stay in New York, which was ravaged by injury and poor form.
The Jets moved on from Rodgers and ushered in a new era. After Aaron Glenn was hired as the new head coach, the Jets brought in Justin Fields at quarterback, and while there was some optimism surrounding the franchise heading into 2025, USA Today has sold all stock.
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Ahead of the 2024 NFL season, USA Today predicted Rodgers and the Jets would tally a 12-5 record en route to securing the AFC East title and the No. 2 seed in the conference. The Jets were then predicted to go all the way to Super Bowl LIX, winning a first title since the days of Joe Namath.
Scorned for backing the Jets a year ago, USA Today has withdrawn all support for them. The publication now believes the Jets will finish third in the AFC East—behind the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots—with a 7-10 record.
USA Today ultimately believes Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium will be between the Baltimore Ravens and the Green Bay Packers. The Ravens are backed to finish with an AFC-best 14-3 record, while the Packers win the NFC North at 12-5 but finish as the second seed in the conference behind the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Jets’ hopes for the season hinge on how Fields will fare in New York, where his connection with newly signed Garrett Wilson will be key on offense. Sauce Gardner also has a new deal as he seeks to continue his fine NFL career.
Fields signed a two-year deal with the Jets to become the franchise’s replacement for Rodgers. The former Chicago Bears signal-caller received encouragement from ex-Jet Ray Mickens to help the organization move beyond the turbulent Rodgers era.
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“He can make people forget about Aaron Rodgers and all the other people that came through here, and let people know he’s ‘the one’,” Mickens said, per ESPN. “I’m hoping he takes that next step. I think he can do it. He has the skill set to get it done.”
Following the Jets’ preseason opener against the Packers, where Fields delivered a spectacular rushing touchdown, Glenn expressed satisfaction with his starting quarterback’s progress while acknowledging areas for growth. He said: “We love where he’s at right now.
“Does he have a way to go? Absolutely, he does. Is he going to continue to work? Absolutely, he will, because that’s just who he is. We know exactly where he’s at, we know exactly where he’s going, and we’re going to continue to work our ass off until we get there.”
Glenn continued regarding Fields: “He’s going to get criticized for every little thing, and the good thing about him is he is so mature, and we talk about this on a consistent basis – he doesn’t care.
“The only thing that we care about is how is he operating and is he getting better, and we see that in house.”
The Jets face the New York Giants (Aug. 16) and Eagles (Aug. 22) in preseason before starting the regular season against the Pittsburgh Steelers at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 7.