The Jets’ 2023 season was a disaster, but as long as Aaron Rodgers was healthy in 2024, the outlook for New York was positive. Unfortunately for the Jets, that’s not how things played out.
The team lost a series of close games and regressed in multiple key areas as it crashed out of contention by November.
With major changes on the horizon, let’s look back on the season so we can break down the key individual performances.
Here are the grades:
Jan 5, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) and wide receiver Davante Adams (17) celebrates after a touchdown during the second half against the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / © Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
QB Aaron Rodgers
Rodgers struggled to find consistency and to get on the same page with his teammates all season long and was uncharacteristically poor in the clutch. While his final stat line is going to end up looking pretty good, the analytics community is divided on how well he performed. Despite the fact that he was coming off an injury, losing even more games than last year was simply unacceptable, especially given the high level of expectations.
GRADE: C-
RB Breece Hall
Hall had another productive season but only rushed for 100 yards once as the team was forced to abandon the run in several games and sought to get its rookies involved more down the stretch. While he also posted another 100-yard game as a receiver, Hall’s passing-game production was down compared last year. At the end of the 2025 season, Hall will be a free agent, which could set up a tense negotiation.
GRADE: B
TE Tyler Conklin
Conklin’s production was down slightly this season, as he wasn’t really in the game plan during the middle part of the season after Todd Downing took over the play-calling. Conklin is a sure-handed player who doesn’t break tackles and is inconsistent as a blocker, which limits his value. Overall, his season was underwhelming given the fact that he began the year talking about his Pro Bowl hopes.
GRADE: C
WR Garrett Wilson
Wilson continues to look like New York’s most talented and dangerous offensive player, having posted his third straight thousand-yard season. Who can forget his sensational one-handed catch against the Texans? This was another frustrating year for Wilson, though, as he struggled initially to get on the same page with Rodgers and, at times, felt he wasn’t getting the ball enough.
GRADE: A-
Jan 5, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich speaks with wide receiver Davante Adams (17) during pregame warmups for their game against the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images / © Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images
WR Davante Adams
Adams was a midseason acquisition, and it was felt that reuniting with his longtime teammate in Rodgers would make the Jets’ offense unstoppable. He definitely had a positive impact on the offense and the locker room, but the move came too late to make a difference — especially since it took the pair a few games to rediscover their chemistry. Adams has been very productive, but at the same time, never fully allayed the concern that he might simply end up taking touches away from talented young players.
GRADE: B+
WR Allen Lazard
Lazard got off to a solid start but then saw his production fall off and also missed some time due to injuries. With eight dropped passes and seven offensive penalties, his focus has been too inconsistent and he’s another player who might not be back with the team in 2025.
GRADE: D+
WR/KR/PR Xavier Gipson
Gipson remains the team’s return specialist, but his involvement on offense all but disappeared over the course of the season. As a return man, his decision making and production have been inconsistent, and he let the team down at the end of one close game with a lost fumble.
GRADE: D+
OT Morgan Moses
The Jets’ trade to bring back Moses from Baltimore was a smart move for a team that was forced into constant lineup changes in 2023, as he’s been durable and able to play through pain over the years. However, the 33-year-old had so many injuries in 2024 that it proved disruptive down the stretch. Still, his performance was solid, and he provided a steadying influence.
GRADE: C+
G John Simpson
Simpson came in on a two-year deal as a free agent and provided the Jets with consistent play and good durability on the left side. He was arguably the team’s most consistent run blocker, but his pass-protection numbers fell off a little down the stretch.
GRADE: B+
C Joe Tippmann
In just his second season, Tippmann settled in superbly as a full-time center as he started every game and led the team in offensive snaps. His on-field discipline was excellent as he only had four penalties while all the other starters had five or more.
GRADE: B+
OT Tyron Smith
Smith started 10 games before being sidelined with a neck injury, and the offensive line didn’t really miss a beat with rookie Olu Fashanu starting in his place. While he provided solid leadership and was a good mentor for Fashanu, Smith didn’t play up to his usual Pro Bowl level as he gave up a team-high five sacks.
GRADE: C+
G Alijah Vera-Tucker
The important thing for Vera-Tucker this season was that he remained healthy. Other than a high-ankle sprain, which limited his practice reps during the second half of the season but only caused him to miss two starts, he was able to achieve this. Vera-Tucker is the Jets’ most consistent lineman from week to week and rarely gets beaten cleanly. He could be in line for a big-money extension but will play out 2025 on his fifth-year option.
GRADE: B+
New York Jets defensive end Will McDonald IV (99) reacts during the second half against the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium / © Lucas Boland-Imagn Images
DE Will McDonald
McDonald didn’t play much as a rookie but came out of the blocks fast in 2024 and ended the season with a team-high 10.5 sacks. He also improved as a run defender over the course of the season, and it will be exciting to see him paired with Jermaine Johnson in 2024 after the 2023 Pro Bowler missed virtually the entire season due to an Achilles tear.
GRADE: B+
DE Haason Reddick
After being acquired via trade, Reddick’s lengthy holdout was problematic for the Jets, especially in light of Johnson’s injury. Since he’s been in the lineup, Reddick’s impact and production have been minimal. He has been a major disappointment despite interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich’s efforts to defend him and praise his unselfishness over the past few weeks.
GRADE: D
DE Micheal Clemons
Clemons was one of just three defensive players to start every game, retaining that role despite Reddick’s midseason arrival. He started off the year showing some growth as a pass rusher with 4.5 sacks in the first nine games, but that production evaporated over the second half. His discipline and play against the run were too inconsistent over the course of the season to consider him an option to remain as a full-time starter.
GRADE: C-
DT Quinnen Williams
Williams had to deal with some injury issues down the stretch, but he exceeded last season’s sack total with six and did a solid job against the run as usual. He wasn’t voted to the Pro Bowl, but he was named as a first alternate.
GRADE: A-
DT Javon Kinlaw
Kinlaw is another player who started every game but did not meet expectations. Eyebrows raised when the Jets signed Kinlaw to a $7 million deal, but the hope was that reuniting him with Robert Saleh — his defensive coordinator when the 49ers picked him in the first round of the 2019 draft — would take his game to another level. That didn’t really happen, although Kinlaw did record career-highs with 40 tackles and 4.5 sacks.
GRADE: C
LB Jamien Sherwood
Sherwood was forced to take on a role as the Jets’ defensive quarterback due to CJ Mosley’s lingering neck issues, and the youngster handled the responsibility of wearing the headset and relaying defensive calls well. After some initial teething troubles, he settled into his new role and the team’s run defense noticeably improved over the course of the season. Sherwood ended up as the team’s leading tackler and was voted Team MVP by his teammates. He is a free agent.
GRADE: A-
LB Quincy Williams
Williams was last year’s Team MVP but his performance regressed somewhat without Mosley alongside him. Nevertheless, he started every game, led the team in defensive snaps and racked up more than 100 tackles and a team-high four forced fumbles.
GRADE: B-
S Tony Adams
Five different players started games at safety this season, with Adams ending up with the highest snap count. He was the subject of a curious midseason benching. However, Adams was productive with 80 tackles and six pass breakups, and his overall play was mostly consistent.
GRADE: B+
S Chuck Clark
Clark started the most games of all the safeties with 12 but got injured a few times. He was apparently an important player in terms of his communication, but he didn’t make many impact plays.
GRADE: C
CB Sauce Gardner
Gardner’s performance and coverage numbers were good, but nowhere near the standards he set for himself during his first two years, although he did at least end his long interception-less drought. He’ll be looking to rebound in 2025, after which he’ll try to reset the cornerback market.
GRADE: B-
CB D.J. Reed
Reed has had three excellent seasons with the Jets, but it looks like he’s on his way out of New York. Much like Gardner, he played well, but not as well as he had over the past two seasons. His biggest issue was penalties, as he led the Jets with a career-high 11.
GRADE: B-
CB Michael Carter II
Carter signed a big-money deal ahead of the season, having established himself as one of the best slot cornerbacks in the NFL. However, he was banged up all year and limited to one start and fewer than 300 defensive snaps. He was also inconsistent whenever he has played.
GRADE: C-
DB Isaiah Oliver
Although he was an afterthought during the offseason, Oliver was a valuable rotational contributor for the Jets this season as he has started seven games and played more than 500 snaps. His ability to slot in at safety, outside or in the slot made him extremely useful in light of some of the injuries in the secondary and he has played well for the most part.
GRADE: C+
K Greg Zuerlein
Bringing back Zuerlein was a key priority during the offseason, but his season was a disaster as he missed seven kicks in eight games. These misses arguably cost the Jets four wins, which could have kept them in postseason contention. He also missed the second half of the year due to injury.
GRADE: D
P Thomas Morstead
Morstead has also been reliable with the Jets over the past few seasons, but his numbers were down, and his overall performance was somewhat underwhelming — so the Jets might look to get younger at this position.
GRADE: C+
Jan 5, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich speaks with wide receiver Davante Adams (17) during pregame warmups for their game against the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images / © Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images
Coaching staff
The decision to fire Robert Saleh after five games was intended to prevent the 2024 season from spiraling out of control, but it backfired because the team — it could have been 4-1 if not for Zuerlein’s struggles — soon fell out of the race with Ulbrich at the helm.
Ulbrich was previously thought to be a potential future head coach, but he’s likely damaged his reputation as the coach of a team that had the same issues under him that they had under Saleh.
GRADE: D-
Front office
Once again, you can have sympathy for Joe Douglas, who was fired during the middle of the season with Phil Savage taking over as the interim general manager. Douglas had bad luck with injuries and was arguably let down by his coaching staff throughout his tenure.
In addition, some will feel that firing the head coach so early in the season undermined the ongoing plans for a team that looked to have a promising roster. It’s a results business, though, and that’s why the Jets are currently in the market for a new general manager.
GRADE: D+
Others
There were plenty of other players who we didn’t give a grade to because they played less than half of the season due to injuries. Among them are Mosley, Fashanu, and Johnson. Mosley may not be back, but the other two will be key players next season.
Overall
The Jets were discussed ahead of the season as a potential Super Bowl contender and widely expected to end their long postseason drought. Barring an injury to Rodgers, nobody would have expected them to have ended up in the mix for a top-five draft pick and fans, players, and team officials will all be glad that the season is finally over.
GRADE: D