Jets' players, coaches remain focused on trying to win football games
New York Jets linebacker C.J. Mosley (57) defends during an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Scot Tucker) Credit: AP/Scot Tucker
Jets ownership already is looking ahead to 2025. The players and coaches are not.
It’s clear that there will be “wholesale changes,” as Aaron Rodgers put it. But the most decorated players on the Jets (3-8) are stressing playing for pride and each other in these final six games.
Linebacker C.J. Mosley made it very clear that anyone who isn’t giving full effort is letting down his teammates and shouldn't be playing.
“You really have to not care about anybody in this building,” he said, “if your mindset goes, ‘We’re 3-8, I’m done. I’m out of here, I’m checked out, I don’t want to play anymore. I don’t want to give my effort to special teams, I don’t want to give my effort to scout teams.’ If anybody on our team is thinking that way, it’s going to show really fast and I know I’m going to call it out. I would hope the rest of our leaders and teammates do the same.”
The Jets are coming off their bye and playing their first game since general manager Joe Douglas was fired on Nov. 19. Former Jets quarterback Geno Smith will lead Seattle into MetLife Stadium on Sunday in a game between teams going in opposite directions.
The Seahawks (6-5) are in the thick of the playoff race, leading the NFC West because of a tiebreaker. The Jets are one defeat away from clinching their ninth consecutive losing season and are closing in on being eliminated from playoff contention for the 14th straight season.
In the Jets’ initial team meeting this week, interim coach Jeff Ulbrich stressed the importance of attitude and approach. The players have talked about being professional and making sure they do everything they can to finish the season strong.
“It just comes down to guys being motivated,” Rodgers said. “You can inspire guys. Brick can put up a great quote or give us a great message or we can have a great talk Saturday night. But in the end, it comes down to guys being motivated individually, just wanting to play for something bigger than themselves, and hopefully we all do that.”
Rodgers’ future with the Jets is uncertain, but he did say that if he decides to play a 21st season, his “first option” is to play for them. The truth is that there are no guarantees that Rodgers will finish out the season on the field even though Ulbrich has said he will continue to play the Hall of Fame-bound quarterback if he’s healthy.
Ownership may want to see how Tyrod Taylor or rookie Adrian Martinez do at some point. Taylor is under contract next season and might have a better chance of being a Jet in 2025 than Rodgers does.
The Jets have begun their search for a new general manager and head coach. Owner Woody Johnson hired The 33rd Team, a media and technology company, to assist in the search. Former Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum and former Vikings GM Rick Spielman are leading the project.
The new Jets regime could opt to go in a direction other than Rodgers at quarterback and start fresh with their choices through the draft and free agency. Rodgers knows that. He said he’s “not naive” about the situation and is focused on trying to get some wins before this season or his season ends.
“Every game’s important,” Rodgers said. “I’m going to enjoy them. Obviously, the future is unknown for a lot of us. I have a lot of pride in this game when I take the field, when I go to practice. So I’ll be excited about going out there with the guys and finish off strong.''
Right tackle Morgan Moses feels the same way.
Moses said they have to make sure they put good “tape” out there for the rest of the NFL to see. There are a number of Jets, players and coaches, who won’t be back next season and are auditioning for their next employer.
“As far as everything that’s going on upstairs versus downstairs, we’ve got six games to play,” Moses said. “We’ve got six games not only to play for ourselves but every team around the NFL is going to be looking at this tape to see the type of effort that guys are going to put on that field because you want guys in your locker room that’s going to compete at a high level when things are not going great, not just when things are going well.
“We’ve got a lot of people playing for a lot of things and a lot of people sacrificing a lot of things to be out there. We just got to focus on the things that are happening in our locker room.”
Few Jets have sacrificed more this season than Moses, who has been playing with a grade 2 MCL tear and slight fracture in his left knee. Part of his rehab included sleeping in a hyperbaric chamber. These games definitely matter to him.
“You have an opportunity to play a child’s game for a king’s ransom,” Moses said. “Not a lot of people get the opportunity to do that. So we’re going to worry about what’s in front of us.
“We have great veteran guys, great veteran presence in the locker room. When you have great people in the locker room that can bring guys together and move forward no matter what the circumstances are, it’s going to jell.”
Notes & quotes: The Jets placed Tyron Smith (neck) on injured reserve. The veteran left tackle’s season may be over. The Jets also activated offensive lineman Xavier Newman off of IR. Sent from my iPhone
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
