Jets players openly embracing Super Bowl goal

New York Jets cornerback D.J. Reed told reporters Wednesday his expectation "is to win a Super Bowl" with Aaron Rodgers starting at quarterback. 

Other Jets players echoed Reed's take on Thursday. 

"I ain’t gonna fake it, that’s what we play for, we play to win the game," star wide receiver Garrett Wilson said on Thursday, as shared by John Flanigan of SNY. "I’m not gonna beat around the bush, we want to win a Super Bowl. You don’t make moves in the offseason like we did unless you’re trying to get there. That’s the mindset. We want those expectations as athletes. We love that and that’s the mindset we’re embracing at our facility. If you want to get the s---, go get it, talk about it, it’s cool."

With Rodgers atop the depth chart instead of 2021 first-round draft pick Zach Wilson, the Jets sat seventh among betting favorites (+2000 odds) listed by OddsChecker to win Super Bowl LVIII as of Thursday afternoon. That same outlet had Gang Green fourth among favorites at +1100 odds to represent the AFC in the title game. 

"It’s spectacular, that’s what you want," Rodgers said about such a massive goal hovering over the Jets ahead of his first season with the organization. "You want to be part of a place that has high expectations and there’s a lot of positivity around here, which I think is definitely a good thing." 

Receiver Allen Lazard never acquired a Super Bowl ring serving as one of Rodgers' targets with the Green Bay Packers from the 2018 campaign through last season. Lazard, who signed with the Jets in March, wants to change that as soon as this coming winter. 

"That’s always been the main objective since I was five years old and playing the game," Lazard explained. "Just thinking about holding up that Lombardi Trophy at the end of the season in February, that’s never changed." 

Rodgers insisted he and his teammates can't buy into any hype and must instead "focus on the little things" so early into a process that doesn't truly get underway until the Jets open the upcoming season against the division-rival Buffalo Bills on Sept. 11. That may prove to be easier said than done with HBO "Hard Knocks" cameras at the team's facility throughout the summer.