Blog

The New York Jets are perhaps the biggest winners of the NFL offseason.

Trading for a superstar like Aaron Rodgers without even losing one of their own stars was a huge win for the front office, and now they look like one of the teams to beat out of the AFC.

However, as positive as their offseason was, it seems like it could’ve been even better.

According to an appearance on Twitter Spaces made by Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic, the Jets were pretty close to getting both C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Darius Slay in the offseason, per Paul Andrew Esden Jr.

Lost in the sauce: @ZackBlatt said at one point during a @TwitterSpaces Chauncey Gardner-Johnson (@CGJXXIII) & Sauce Gardner (@iamSauceGardner) alluded to how they thought CJ was ‘close to signing w/ the #Jets’ this offseason 👀 Zack also thought he heard CJ say he was trying to… pic.twitter.com/uE4rFdWSmc

— Paul Andrew Esden Jr (@BoyGreen25) July 15, 2023

Obviously, Slay wound up staying put with the Philadelphia Eagles, while Gardner-Johnson took his talents to Motor City to play for the Detroit Lions.

The Jets still have one of the best defenses in the league, with Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner as young stalwarts that could make them even better for years to come.

They also have a plethora of young offensive weapons at Aaron Rodgers’ disposal, including NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Garrett Wilson and a promising running back in Breece Hall.

All things considered, it seems like it’s Super Bowl-or-bust for the Jets next season, and there will be plenty of pressure on HC Robert Saleh to get the job done; there’s no more room for excuses.

Even so, the sole fact that two legit stars actually considered signing with them this offseason speaks volumes of how much things have changed for this organization in the past couple of years.

NEXT: 
Sauce Gardner Sounds Off On Comparisons With Other CBs