Of course, Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams walked through that door on Sunday. Of course, the portrayal of grumpy old men has morphed into a dynamic duo when the postseason is no longer on the line, but draft position certainly is. Of course, this happened when everyone of note was fired, and the only ones fighting for the second marriage of Rodgers and Adams’ careers are the quarterback and his favorite wide receiver.
Of course. Because they are the New York Jets.
That’s what I thought late in the fourth quarter of the New York Jets’ 32-25 comeback win against the Jacksonville Jaguars when Rodgers took advantage of a clean pocket to throw an undoubtedly impressive 71-yard touchdown dart to Adams. It was a Green Bay Packers tradition: Rodgers effortlessly flicked his wrist down the middle of the field while Adams mercilessly split a pair of defenders in coverage. The ball landed slightly over Adams’ left shoulder and perfectly cradled for both hands – at full speed. The two defenders on each side of Adams were powerless to stop it, and even the cornerback, who got a clear shot at the 5-yard line, couldn’t stop the touchdown.
At half-court, Rodgers ran, screamed and pumped his fists to capture what may be his most joyous moment of this lost season. In this moment – maybe 30 seconds – everything was possible again and nothing else mattered. Not 10 losses with three tough games left on the schedule. Not the upper reaches of the organization that have already been blown up. No, team owner Woody Johnson reportedly floated the idea of benching Rodgers a few months ago. Not the looming guillotine of the upcoming break when he decides to either blow this team up further and start over… or maybe keep it together and hope for different results.
Instead, in this game, Rodgers and Adams took everyone into a time machine and reminded us of that who they are it still can be who they were. To the tune of nine completions for 198 yards and two touchdowns. It was the most fruitful performance between Rodgers and one of his Jets receivers, a trip capable of stirring some of what might have been emotions between the quarterback and wideout.
“Yes—yes, it did. [feel like old times]except he dropped one,” Rodgers said afterward with a smile. “And I missed him on another big third down. but yes [Davante] he is a fantastic player. He dropped one and said he had his dreadlocks pulled. Whether it’s true or not, it seemed like an excuse.’
This was Rodgers in his happy, playful mode. In a season that produced only four wins, you take the wind at your back when you get it. Although it does raise the question of where this kind of performance has been since the Jets acquired Adams two months ago in hopes that his pairing with Rodgers could turn the season around. Even Rodgers wondered.
“Yeah, definitely,” he said Sunday. “You know, it’s too little, too late. But it’s still special. It doesn’t pollute at all. It doesn’t take any of the joy out of it. It doesn’t take away any of the fun that will be on the bus right now and then on the plane… it will still be special. They are always special. But this was a year for things that — we were close, but we kind of let it slip in the middle of the season.”
That reality may have defined the message Rodgers and Adams sent Sunday: Yes, the season is dead. No, we are not a tandem. All of this sets up an audition where both Rodgers and Adams want to play next season — together. Either with the Jets or elsewhere. Maybe with the Tennessee Titans, who are one step closer to needing to move turnover machine Will Levis and may need a one-year bridge quarterback to get to better draft options in 2026. Maybe it’s a one-year bridge job for the New York Giants or Las Vegas Raiders , if they’re either franchise toys with the idea of redoing Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward in 2025. Or maybe it’s just camping in place for another season and with the same Jets squad behind one last attempt to do something, anything, better than the stunning disappointments of 2023 and 2024.
Given what’s happened this season for the Jets — and an incoming regime that will likely want to clear the decks — it’s hard to see that development happening. Of course, that’s before you consider the other options available to the Jets. Barring a trade, which would be unwise in this weak quarterback draft, they likely won’t have better than the third or fourth best linebacker on the draft board. And that QB might not even be worthy of a first round pick. Unless the devil freezes over, the top free agent quarterback, Sam Darnold, will not return to play for the Jets. The options for trading veterans aren’t great. And while Rodgers isn’t cheap to keep (he has a $35 million option bonus at the start of the 2025 season along with $2.5 million in base salary), there may be a way to negotiate a pay cut for both him and Adams. around and play together.
Even for Rodgers and Adams, a return with the Jets might be their best and only chance to continue playing together. Which appears to be a priority for both in 2025.
There aren’t a ton of quarterback depth charts around the league that make adding Rodgers reasonable, let alone Rodgers. a Adams. And if they somehow manage to pull a rabbit out of the hat in their remaining three games — including home wins against the Los Angeles Rams and Miami Dolphins — and one scary road game against a Buffalo Bills team that’s arguably the best in the NFL right now, then some attitudes can change inside the Jets.
Finishing 7-10 with a four-game winning streak isn’t exactly good. But a sales pitch could include an offseason collaboration between Rodgers and Adams along with polishing the roster with a new general manager and head coach. There is some fresh air for sale. Whether anyone buys it will depend on how the next three weeks unfold.
For his part, Rodgers seemed to move better against the Jaguars. Not only did he slide around the pocket, but he used his ability to run. It was a far cry from most of the season when he looked like he might lose much of his athleticism from the waist down. Instead, Rodgers had some unexpected encouragement and used it to create some exciting moments with Adams. He finished with six carries for 45 yards after having just 56 carries through the first 13 games of the season.
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“Today was one of those days in the second half, I definitely felt very similar to how we started it,” Adams said. “You all will never be able to feel it, but even being in the grip of Aaron, you felt completely different. Obviously with him being mobile now and not having it [hamstring] bother him the same way I did when I first got here when he could be on the run like that – I think teams are starting to play us the way they were when he wasn’t [mobile]. He will make you pay. It won’t run in 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, maybe even 4.6 [40-yard dash]but he’s still got it in 10-yard dashes.”
In a season that consisted mostly of rolling thunder, it was a sliver of sunlight breaking through the gray ceiling. A selling point in the final act of this 2024 Jets tragedy, complete with uplifting moments when there really isn’t much left to lift up. Now all that remains is to see how it turns out and whether there is anything left to save in 2025.
Both for the Jets and the future of their too-little, too-late stars.