The New York Jets entered the 2023 NFL Season with a lot of hope and anticipation.
Aaron Rodgers was their QB1 coming into the year, and he was supposed to provide a winning culture, something the Jets hadn’t had in many years.
Despite the preseason expectations, Rodgers ended up tearing his Achilles in the season opener, which, in turn, seemingly ended the Jets’ season before it even started.
They couldn’t find a rhythm with their backup quarterbacks, and they ended up missing the playoffs by a significant margin.
While their offense wasn’t what they hoped for, the defense was still spectacular, with much thanks to several of their young players.
One such young player is Sauce Gardner, who just finished his second season.
In a recent conversation with PFT Live ahead of the Super Bowl, Gardner said, “I went into Year two knowing more, so I was more confident each and every game.”
Sauce Gardner: I feel like my second year was better than my first. https://t.co/eKv9oDEP0N
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) February 8, 2024
Gardner won the Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 2022, and he still thinks that 2023 was a better year for him.
Whether this is just his ambition and self-standards remains to be seen, but if Gardner truly believes he overachieved his rookie campaign, there is a lot more growth potential for him moving forward.
The Jets have a young, fun defense, one that many teams wish they had.
They haven’t been able to couple their defense with a strong offensive output to this point, but they are well on their way in 2024 especially if Rodgers can find his way back on the field.
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