The New York Jets' 2023 season went as bad as it could possibly have gone. After the big trade to acquire future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the expectations were absurdly high, but they weren't longer than four plays. After Rodgers' Achilles injury in the first game of the regular season against the Buffalo Bills, everything went south — quarterback play, leadership, franchise's decision-making processes.

The Athletic's reporters Zack Rosenblatt and Dianna Russini wrote a really interesting piece about what went wrong for the Jets in 2023.

According to the report, the Jets recalibrated expectations. The management went in survival mode, looking for a seven-win season to keep their jobs — exactly what happened. Rodgers' power was obvious, and the perception of the environment around the league was that the quarterback had even more power than general manager Joe Douglas.

^{'It's not uncommon for team decision-makers to consult star quarterbacks on potential roster additions, but the perception around the league was that the Jets went beyond the norm. "Rodgers isn't the assistant GM," one AFC general manager said. "Joe Douglas is the assistant GM."}

The Jets signed several former Packers players, including wide receivers Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb, who failed to justify the confidence without Rodgers on the field. Quarterback Tim Boyle and offensive tackle Billy Turner were other examples. In terms of system, there were internal concerns about offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, who is close to Rodgers.

That included an offense entirely designed to acquiesce Rodgers' desires — over the previous seasons in Green Bay, Rodgers was clear about not liking pre-snap motions, for example, and the Jets were in the bottom of the league in that regard. The defense, one of the best in the league, grew frustrated with the offense's inability to put up more points.

^{'"That's what Aaron wants" was a common refrain from Hackett as he told coaches what plays he wanted to run during camp. Often, Rodgers would hear Hackett's play call and want something else, so the entire offense would reset.'}

The offensive staff problems, according to the report, included a lack of communication during the week among assistants. Outside of offensive line coach/running game coordinator Keith Carter and passing game coordinator Todd Downing, Hackett didn't talk as frequently with other assistants. The lack of in-game adjustments was also seen as a big problem.

When the season was basically over and the team decided to use younger players, the operation mistakes were more pronounced — a bad sign for coaches.

Quarterback situation

When Aaron Rodgers went down, the initial reaction was to support Zach Wilson. According to The Athletic's report, they considered veterans like Chad Henne, Carson Wentz and Colt McCoy. Joe Flacco was not a consideration, since the decision-makers understood he wouldn't be an upgrade over Wilson.

Late in the season, head coach Robert Saleh told Zach Wilson that he would be benched and then traded in the offseason, starting Tim Boyle. But with Boyle's failure, Wilson became an option again — except that, at first, Wilson didn't want to be back. Zack Rosenblatt and Dianna Russini mention that Wilson' perception of Rodgers changed throughout the season, when the relationship wasn't as close as Wilson thought it would be.

Future

Now, the big question for the Jets is how they will approach next season. General manager Joe Douglas, head coach Robert Saleh, offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, and quarterback Aaron Rodgers are all back, but it's still not clear how much power each of them will have. Is Rodgers' return to the field enough to make everything look different?

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Team had a disappointing season in 2023