Look, none of us wanted to be here. We had big plans on a fantastic season. We went “all in” on the 2024 Jets and it is not going the way we wanted. But at some point, you may need to take a good long hard look in the mirror and accept what you are.

The Jets currently sit at 2-5 after a bad loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. They aren’t out of the playoff race, but the hole is getting deeper for them to climb themselves out of. The spark that Woody Johnson was hoping to get from firing Robert Saleh never came. The “missing piece” in Davante Adams hasn’t meant much and now they are hoping Haason Reddick is going to fix the defense.

They once again find themselves preparing for not one, but two games in five days as they take on the New England Patriots on Sunday and then Houston Texans on Thursday Night. By the time November rolls around next Friday, the Jets could be setting at 4-5 and right back in the thick of it, or 2-7 and wondering where it all went wrong.

If they are 4-5, the rest of the season becomes about fighting like hell to claw your way back to the playoff race. If they are 2-7, they have the opportunity to face what they are, what they can be and get a start on their future.

The NFL trade deadline is November 5^th, and the Jets will have a lot of pieces that will be attractive to deadline buyers. For a team that went all on with one-year deals, the Jets can certainly make the best out of a failed experiment and set themselves up for future success with a handful of practical deals at the deadline.

Other squads will be more than willing to pluck high talent players on short contracts for a chance at a title run. Mike Williams has been a name that has been throw out as a potential trade candidate after the Jets got Davante Adams. We have heard all year about the Jets unwillingness to trade Haason Reddick, but at 2-7 it might be worth it to eat their losses.

Then there are the names we haven’t heard about. The Jets could move Tyron Smith to a team that is having offensive line issues. Maybe a team like the Minnesota Vikings who are going to be without left tackle Christian Darrisaw could use a player of Smith’s reputation.

Could a team use a backup quarterback like Tyrod Taylor for a future draft pick? I would think so. Tyler Conklin and Morgan Moses would likely be upgrades for a few teams who are looking to round out their teams.

Then we go to the defensive side of the ball. D.J. Reed is in the final year of his contract and while I think he is one of the best players on the Jets, it simply may not be in the cards for the Jets to re-sign him after this year. There are very few teams that have corners better than Reed and he could probably fetch a 2^nd or 3^rd round pick. Players like Solomon Thomas, Javon Kinlaw, Ashtyn Davis, and Chuck Clark who have expiring contracts but could be rotational pieces for a team headed to the playoffs.

I’m not naive enough to think that these players are going to fetch first round picks, but if the Jets are truly out of the playoffs, wouldn’t it be better for them to get all they can for guys who likely won’t return anyway? Outside of DJ Reed, who I think could be worth as high as a second-round pick, I think there is nothing wrong with stock piling draft picks and getting young players like Malachi Corley and Olu Fashanu some in game experience.

Now, some of you are probably saying, “what about Aaron Rodgers?”. To which I would say, who cares? If the Jets are at 2-7 with Aaron Rodgers at the helm the entire season, then the Jets owe him nothing outside of a paycheck. He was supposed to be the missing piece, and while a part of me believes that he can still save this season, if the Jets fall out of contention, then he failed the organization more than the organization failed him.

If they wind up sitting at 3-6, then I think they need to have an internal conversation, but ultimately, I think they push forward on this year. The next week can have major implications not only on this season for the New York Jets, but if done right, future seasons as well.