The Jets have been struck with a somewhat unbelievable amount of “bad luck” over the course of the franchise’s history.
Whether it be injuries to key players, prospects not panning out, or poor managerial and coaching decisions, something always seems to go wrong for Gang Green.
But what if one or two moments went the Jets’ way? Let’s take a look at several of the Jets’ biggest “what ifs” of the 2020s and evaluate how different things might be if the Jets got a stroke of good luck.
What if the Jets lost to the Rams in 2020?
Trevor Lawrence almost felt like a lock to be the Jets’ quarterback in the 2021 season. That didn’t happen, as they ended up with Zach Wilson with the No. 2 overall pick. Had they lost to the Rams at the end of the 2020 season, they could have secured the first-overall pick and subsequently taken Lawrence.
If the Jets got Lawrence, things would be a lot different. They would have a quarterback who is capable of winning big games on the roster from 2021-2024. The team wouldn’t have traded for Aaron Rodgers, saving all of what was spent on him to address needs for the current team.
Trevor might not be elite, but he brings a talent to the Jets that they do not have. His arm is talented, but sometimes his mind gets in the way. He second-guesses himself, instead of being the confident version of himself from college.
The Jaguars instead gave him a big contract, and he will now be their quarterback of the future. If the Jets had just lost to the Rams, all would have been different.
What if Zach Wilson panned out?
Now looking past Lawrence, if the Jets had their No. 2 overall pick in Zach Wilson pan out, then losing that game to the Rams in 2020 wouldn’t have mattered. But Wilson never did pan out.
Wilson’s arm out of college was elite, as he could make a bunch of athletic throws that many other quarterbacks couldn’t. His most impressive throw from his draft process was at his pro day, which is where many believed the Jets had ultimately ended up deciding to take Wilson.
But in the NFL, he never worked. He would show some flashes and had some wow plays, but never pieced it all together.
If Wilson were to have panned out, we would have seen a big difference. Without adding Rodgers, they would have spent the draft picks on other pieces. With Wilson, they could have added offensive line pieces, allowing him to elevate the play of his receivers. The Jets could have been an elite team, led by Wilson.
What if Aaron Rodgers didn’t tear his Achilles?
And finally, Aaron Rodgers. If only the Hall of Fame quarterback had worked out. The Jets had traded two seconds, a sixth-round pick, and swapped first-rounders with the Packers. This trade was a total dud.
But what if he didn’t tear his Achilles in his first game as a Jet? Without this injury, he could have been a much better player than what was shown this past season with the Jets.
With a healthy Achilles, he would have been able to move a bit more than he did this past season. In addition to that, he would have also been a year younger, which for the veteran quarterback would have been big.
He would also have more time to build relationships with his teammates on the field, hopefully leading them to gel together more. Instead, the players never really got an opportunity to grow together, and instead had to be thrown into the fire without much time to work.
The Jets got unlucky. Many believe that the Wilson and Rodgers acquisitions at the time were the smart moves, although they turned out not to be.
The Jets now have a new team and new quarterback, and they want to win. This season will prove a lot of people wrong, and Justin Fields will show them why he belongs.
