The New York Jets’ season, once brimming with promise, is now at a dismal 2-6 after Sunday’s 25-22 loss to the Patriots in Week 8. With five consecutive losses, it’s clear the Jets have fallen short of the Super Bowl aspirations fans and analysts had for them. To even finish above .500 and contend for a playoff spot, they’d need to pull off an improbable 7-2 record the rest of the way.
As the team sinks to the bottom of the conference, the piling on has begun in earnest.
On ESPN’s Monday morning shows, the Jets’ shortcomings were on full display, with commentators speculating this might be the last time New York’s season draws any real interest. But for Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe, the Jets’ woes aren’t just a team issue—they reflect poorly on star quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Sharpe didn’t mince words about his views on Rodgers’ role in the team’s collapse, saying, “It couldn’t happen to a more smug, cavalier, condescending guy.”
Rodgers, now 41 and in his 20th NFL season, is indeed facing one of his most challenging years as a healthy starter. Through eight weeks, he’s logged 1,896 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
His interception rate (2.5%) and quarterback rating (85.1) are among the worst he’s recorded in his career.
For Sharpe, Rodgers’ disappointing season is a reckoning for the quarterback and the Jets, who over the past two years have argued they were just “a quarterback away” from being contenders.
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Sharpe questioned the Jets’ narrative that a strong roster was already in place and Rodgers was the missing piece. Now, he suggests, the team is running out of people to blame. “Who else are you gonna blame it on?” Sharpe asked pointedly.
“You’re running out of people to fire and demote. You fired Robert Saleh, you gonna fire [interim coach Jeff] Ulbrich now? You demoted [OC Nathaniel] Hackett—what are you gonna do, demote the new offensive coordinator? Who else you gonna trade for? Who else you gonna bring in?”
Sharpe sarcastically echoed the Jets’ previous sentiment, saying, “Oh, we’re a quarterback away.” As it turns out, that assumption appears to have been painfully misguided.
The Jets’ season now teeters on the brink, with a daunting path ahead and skepticism mounting about whether Rodgers can truly lift the team as expected.
With more blame and scrutiny coming from all directions, it’s clear the Jets’ struggles have become a tale not just of a team falling short, but of a quarterback whose performance and perceived attitude are now under a harsh spotlight.
