After what looked like a promising season, the New York Jets lost six straight games to drop to 7-10, missing the playoffs for the 12th consecutive year. All was not lost as their 2022 draft class performed at an exceptionally high level. Sauce Gardner won the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award and Garett Wilson took home the honors on the offensive side of the ball.
There’s even more optimism coming into this season after the team signed future Hall of Famer, Aaron Rodgers, to be their signal caller. We’ll look at a few of the awards members of the Jets have a chance of winning.
Will We See the MVP Rodgers Again?
Aaron Rodgers has won the MVP award four times, including in the 2020 and 2021 seasons. However, Rodgers’ numbers were a bit down in 2022 along with his team’s record. The Packers finished at 8-9, missing the playoffs by a game. Rodgers finished with 3,695 yards, throwing for 26 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. His 12 INTs were his most since his first year as a starter in 2008.
Rodgers, 39, is getting a fresh start with the Jets this season. He’ll have second year wideout Garett Wilson as his primary target. Wilson had just over 1100 receiving yards last year while dealing with quarterback instability.
You could point the finger at Rodgers’ age as a reason for his down year in 2022. However, the quarterback seemed unhappy with his organization which could also help explain his drop in production. Caesars is giving Rodgers +1800 odds to win his 5th MVP award, which are the 8th best odds.
Rodgers will be tasked with beating out plenty of young, talented Quarterbacks. Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Joe Burrow are all co-favorites to win the MVP award.
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Gardner Looking to Build off Impressive Rookie Campaign
Sauce Gardner was drafted 4th overall by the Jets in 2022. Gardner played in all 17 games last year for New York. He ended up leading the NFL in passes defended with 20 and had two interceptions. His play not only earned him Defensive Rookie of the Year honors but also put him at 8th in the Defensive Player of the Year voting.
Gardner is tied for the 5th best Defensive Player of the Year odds for next season. He’s the top defensive back in the odds table. Since 2011, only one DB has won the DPOY award. It was Stephon Gilmore in 2019. Gilmore broke up 20 passes that year and had six interceptions, including two that were returned for touchdowns.
As great as his rookie year was, Gardner will have to improve on his interception total if he hopes to win the DPOY award. A few more splash plays from the young DB could help him become the first Jets player to ever win this award.
Saleh In Mix to Win Coach of the Year
Robert Saleh will be heading into his third season at the helm of the Jets. He went 4-13 his first season before going 7-10 last year. Another three win jump will be expected of Saleh because of the addition of Aaron Rodgers.
NFL Coach of the Year Odds, Courtesy of FanDuel
The Jets would likely have to win at least 11 games for Saleh to be a serious contender for this award. He could run into the issue of an uptick in wins being seen as the result of a big name quarterback addition rather than the coaching.
Two guys Saleh will have to beat out are Dan Campbell and Sean Payton. Each is expected to lead their respective teams to improvements. If the Jets are able to snap their 12 year playoff drought it would be a huge boost to Saleh’s chances.
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Other Jets Award Candidates
Garett Wilson is a candidate for the Offensive Player of the Year Award. The award has gone to a wide receiver the last two seasons. Wilson has +3000 odds to win the award on BetRivers.
Jets running back Breece Hall could be in the running for the Comeback Player of the Year Award. Hall will be going into his second year in the league. He tore his ACL in Week 7 of last season and was forced to miss the remainder of the year. FanDuel has him in a tie for the second best odds at +2000.
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin is a massive favorite to win the Comeback Player of the year Award. Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest in a game against the Bengals late last season. He has made a remarkable recovery and appears to be well on his way to playing next season. FanDuel is giving him -300 odds to win this award.
For the first time in a while Jets fans have a lot to be excited about heading into an NFL season. Aaron Rodgers will be the team’s headliner but they’ll have a number of players along with their head coach in contention for NFL awards. The time has arrived, Jets fans.
