ESPN’s latest NY Jets bashing is a product of losing past

Until the New York Jets prove they can consistently win football games, they will continue to be looked at as one of the worst organizations in the NFL.

Fans, players, and analysts can argue against that point, but it remains true after 14 straight seasons without a playoff appearance, and nine seasons without a .500+ record.

Following the team’s abysmal five-win season with a Hall-of-Fame quarterback, it’s going to take a lot for the Jets to prove they can be a winning franchise moving forward.

Even if they aren’t as far away as many people predict.

Explaining Jets’ Poor Roster Grades

This week, ESPN came out with a ranking of the best rosters in the NFL ahead of training camp.

The Jets were ranked a shocking 29th. A big reason for that is the quarterback position.

“[Justin] Fields, who was benched after six starts in Pittsburgh last season, has a career 47.1 QBR, which ranks 29th out of 34 qualified QBs during the span,” ESPN wrote. “He’s a highly impactful player as a rusher, but hasn’t finished a season with 2,600 [passing] yards or 18 TDs through the air.”

There is no disputing ESPN’s argument. Fields has not shown throughout his career that he can be a consistent and dependable player at the NFL level.

But there is something that even the major network doesn’t fully understand.

As inconsistent as Fields has been, the Jets do have plenty of talent on the roster. Garrett Wilson, Breece Hall, and second-round rookie tight end Mason Taylor make for an intriguing core of weapons. They also have a strong offensive line anchored by Alijah Vera-Tucker, John Simpson, and Joe Tippmann, with two talented first-round tackles on the outside.

New York’s offense should be a lot better in 2025 than people may expect.

That isn’t where the Jets are going to win most of their games, anyway.

Gang Green has been known as a defensive team for a long time now. They have All-Pro talents at every level of the unit and young players blossoming into potential stars.

Few teams have a collection of young talent on their roster like New York does.

Until the Jets can find a way to win games early in the season, though, they will always be considered a bad football team. That’s what happens when you fail to make the playoffs with a Hall-of-Fame caliber quarterback on your roster.

The Jets are far different now than their struggles with Rodgers.

They are younger, more focused, and have fewer distractions heading into camp. It may take some time, but it finally feels like New York is on the right track as an organization.

Poor grades from ESPN be damned.