The boss of the Jets has spoken.
No, not general manager Joe Douglas.
Not head coach Robert Saleh.
Not team owner Woody Johnson.
Aaron Rodgers, the only person associated with the Jets with more power than anyone other than Johnson.
These are some things we gleaned from Rodgers’ well-compensated weekly dispatch from “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday:
• That despite his admirable effort to speed-dial his return to the field from the ruptured left Achilles he suffered four plays into the season, it’s almost certain he won’t play again in 2023 because of the not-so-admirable effort of the rest of the team in his absence, having already been eliminated from playoff contention.
• That his plan is to play “at least’’ two more years with the Jets because he considers this one “a lost year’’ and he believes he’s got a lot more left in the tank.
• Finally — and most importantly — that he stands strongly behind the Jets’ leadership of Douglas, Saleh and offensive coordinator/bestie Nathaniel Hackett despite the fact the Jets have produced 13 offensive TDs in 14 games.
This last bullet point is the most significant, because it’s confirmation (without actual confirmation from the team owner) that, despite the understandable outrage from fans for the 5-9 record and inability to survive the Rodgers injury and at least contend the way other teams in the league have after losing their respective starting quarterbacks (see the 9-5 Browns, 8-6 Bengals, 8-6 Colts and 7-7 Vikings), the Jets will be running it back in 2024 with the same leaders.
This is not what many Jets fans want to hear. They’ve grown disgusted with the fact that Douglas’ building of the team has been uneven at best with consistent failure on his supposed specialty, the offensive line — since he took over in 2019, the Jets have allowed 251 sacks, second most to only the Giants — and Saleh, who’s 16-32 in his tenure with the team (2-11 in December and January games.
But consider it as good as reality, because that’s what Rodgers wants. And Rodgers holds more leverage than anyone in the building, because the team’s plan entering 2023 was entirely tailored around the former Packers great, with Johnson committing some $75 million to him in ’23 and ’24.
So, what Rodgers wants, Rodgers is going to get.
“I believe in the leadership we have here,” Rodgers said Tuesday. “I believe in Joe Douglas. I think he’s put together a lot of great drafts and a great roster. We obviously had a number of difficult injuries this season.
“I believe in Robert Saleh,’’ Rodgers continued. “He’s about the right stuff. I think he emphasizes the right things. I believe in Nate Hackett. I think the offense that he runs is quarterback friendly. Obviously, it was geared around me and my abilities and what I do well and my ability to get to the line of scrimmage and get us some good plays and to survive bad plays.’’
Rodgers went on to say he believes “this is not a situation where we have to rebuild’’ for ’24, adding, “We need to reload a little bit.’’
“I like the pieces that we have in place; I like our young players,’’ he said.
Rodgers’ endorsement of Saleh and Douglas and even Hackett has some merit, because we never got to see the operation that was in place at the start of 2023. The fact Douglas and Saleh were ill-prepared at the backup quarterback spot and failed to make a move (hello, Joe Flacco?) even after Rodgers went down is inexcusable, but it’s blood under the bridge now.
I’ve been a believer in Saleh as a head coach, because he’s a strong leader and his players play hard for him — even in the direst of times. I’d like to see what he can do with a top-level quarterback to go with the strong defense he’s helped build the past two years, because he hasn’t had one in his three years with the team.
If it doesn’t work, if Rodgers even when healthy plays like most 40-year-old quarterbacks play and he isn’t close to the same player he was before, then Johnson will have no choice but to blow the whole thing up after next season and start over.
And if it comes to that, Rodgers won’t have any say, because his leverage will have disappeared faster than daylight at his darkness retreat and he’ll no longer be the boss of anyone other than himself.
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