Aaron Rodgers crashes, burns the New York Jets
It's over, and it's finally obvious to everyone. The great experiment died at Highmark Stadium. What now?
ORCHARD PARK, NY — Pads are scattered all over the floor inside this cramped, visitor’s locker room. Anyone could feel claustrophobic in here and conversations carry, so players lean into each other’s ears to vent. This is the final stage of a season falling apart. They look more weary — empty — than infuriated. The last four months have been certified football hell for an organization bamboozled by the sport’s greatest con artist.
The New York Jets allowed themselves to believe Aaron Rodgers could lead them to Super Bowl glory.
Maybe one day they’ll be able to laugh at that harebrained Broadway premise, but not yet.
After losing 40-14 to the Buffalo Bills, a season officially capsized, cornerback D.J. Reed thought back to what ran through his mind when the Jets were 0-0 instead of 4-12.
“I was going to have 10 picks,” Reed said. “We were going to be elite. I thought that we’d be up in the score late in games and teams would have to throw the ball and I’m going to make plays on the ball.”
A utopia that never transpired. At any point.
Instead, players cannot shelve their Jets gear fast enough. Asked if he wants to be around next season, Reed shakes his head.
“I’m ready to go to free agency, bro. I’m ready to see what’s next for me.”
Of course, everyone associated with the Jets — Woody Johnson, Joe Douglas, Robert Saleh, etc. — should’ve known this experiment was doomed. This farce of an organization ceded creative control to a 41-year-old who can no longer move in the pocket. Jet humiliation knows no limits. Instead of gearing up for an expected playoff run, this team began Sunday’s festivities by strutting through the tunnel at Highmark Stadium with “Gangsta’s Paradise” blaring from a boombox. Then, they took a look at their quarterback and realized there’s nothin’ left. Rodgers played arguably the worst game of his 20-year pro career.