FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — On Monday night, New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers heaved a football toward the stars and watched as it landed safely in the arms of wide receiver Allen Lazard for a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills — a vintage Hail Mary.
Twelve hours later, owner Woody Johnson and his front office tried their own Hail Mary, finalizing a trade for wide receiver Davante Adams to rescue their slumping 2-4 team. Will the stars smile on them again?
No one can say for sure, but it’s clear that Johnson won’t give up on this season of great expectations. He changed coaches last week, and this week he’s them and Rodgers a dynamic playmaker. Explaining his bold moves, Johnson said Tuesday at the league’s annual fall meetings in Atlanta, “A lot of times, you just have to go with your instinct.”
To emphasize his point, Johnson quoted a line from the movie, “Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby.” It’s the scene where Susan tells Ricky Bobby, “Ricky Bobby is not a thinker. Ricky Bobby is a driver.” (There’s something cool about a billionaire quoting from a Will Ferrell movie.)
“Thinking is overrated,” said Johnson, who is trying to drive the Jets to their first postseason in 14 years.
What the Jets are doing is part Ricky Bobby, part Tom Brady. Let’s explain.
Continuing to copy the Brady/Tampa Bay Buccaneers playbook, the Jets gave Rodgers the reunion he wanted, trading for his all-time favorite receiver. It’s Brady and Rob Gronkowski all over again, except it cost more in trade compensation and there’s less time to make it work.
The Bucs, of course, did this in 2020, signing Brady in March and trading for Gronk a few weeks later to re-create the deadly tandem that helped fuel the New England Patriots’ dynasty. In Tampa, Gronk scored nine touchdowns (including the playoffs) in his first season, riding shotgun with Brady as they won the Super Bowl.
The Jets have been dreaming about that for more than a half-century. They tried to expedite their latest rebuild by trading for Rodgers last year, and now they have presented him with the most prolific pass receiver he has ever had.
Gronkowski, in a recent interview on the “Up and Adams” podcast, said the “best fit” for Adams was the Jets, and he cited the same reasons why he wanted to be with Brady and the Bucs: chemistry and familiarity, that rare telepathy between a great thrower and a great catcher.
“I believe he’ll elevate the team to a whole other level,” Gronk said of Adams.
There are differences between the two situations. Brady and Gronk had a full offseason to prepare for their second ride. Rodgers and Adams, who haven’t played together since 2021, will have to relearn each other on the fly in the crucible of the regular season. It won’t be easy for them or the team.
This Rodgers-Adams venture also has become quite expensive, certainly more than what the Bucs gave up for Brady (a free agent) and Gronk (traded for a fourth-round pick). Basically, the Jets gave up two second-round picks for Rodgers, plus a conditional third-rounder for Adams.
The Jets, having all sorts of problems on offense (their 304.3 yards and 18.8 points per game both rank 22nd), are counting on that old magic from Rodgers and Adams. Oh, they were wonderful together over eight seasons with the Green Bay Packers, hooking up for 615 receptions, 7,529 yards and 68 touchdowns. Rodgers also was named league MVP in their last two seasons together.
Rodgers, 40, hasn’t been the same quarterback since he lost Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022. From 2022 to present, he ranks 31st out of 35 qualified passers in Total QBR, ahead of only Aidan O’Connell, Mac Jones, Bryce Young and Will Levis.
The big question is how Adams’ arrival will impact receiver Garrett Wilson, who has been the focal point of the passing attack, with a league-high 65 targets. Interim coach Jeff Ulbrich expects Adams to have a positive impact on the young receiver, drawing double coverage away from Wilson and serving as a role model. Ulbrich saw a similar situation when he was a player for the San Francisco 49ers in 2000, when an aging Jerry Rice helped mentor a young Terrell Owens.
“I think Davante’s going to provide that same thing for Garrett and for all of our receivers,” Ulbrich said.
In theory, Adams’ presence should balance the field and help in the red zone, where the Jets went 1-for-4 in Monday’s loss. If teams play soft coverage to prevent big plays, the Jets can run the ball. If teams want to play man-to-man, doubling Adams or Wilson, Rodgers can find the best matchup. It looks good on paper.
Adams, Wilson and Lazard will be the top three receivers, leaving Mike Williams’ role in question. The Jets took a $10 million flier on Williams, hoping he would recapture his old form after ACL surgery, but it has been a slow process. He has no chemistry with Rodgers, who called him out Monday night for running the wrong route on the game-clinching interception.
This is a slippery slope. If Rodgers starts favoring Adams, it could be perceived as another example of the organization catering to the quarterback’s desires, which might chafe feelings in the locker room. Or maybe the X’s and O’s will work so well that it overrides personal feelings.
Either way, Rodgers got his wish. So did Adams. Now all they have to do is turn back the calendar to 2021 and hope the 2024 Jets don’t get in the way. Everybody knows the stakes, thanks to Johnson’s proclamations.
“We’re going to kick — you can add the words after that,” he said.
If they don’t kick butt, there’s reason to believe everybody will get kicked out.