With Thursday's official announcement that the Jets and QB Aaron Rodgers were parting ways, the team's offensive personnel picture is suddenly, yet perhaps not so suddenly, an incomplete picture.
But there will be some constants in the offense, at the skill positions and on the line's interior, as new head coach Aaron Glenn and new coordinator Tanner Engstrand begin to install their scheme and new general manager Darren Mougey repopulates the roster's offensive holdovers with new players in free agency and the draft.
Before any UFAs begin to arrive in a month, here is a quick look at the Jets' offensive personnel.
Quarterback — The top QB on the depth chart is Tyrod Taylor. His action behind Rodgers last season was limited to three drives, at the end of which he threw three touchdown passes. Taylor's TD drive rate of 1.000 is the highest in a season for any NFL quarterback with at least three drives since 1997. Yes, Taylor's numbers came in "garbage time" and the sample size is small. But the bottom line is that he is a productive, team-oriented 14-year NFL vet who's worked well with rookie QBs in the past such as Baker Mayfield with the Browns and Justin Herbert with the Chargers.
Behind Taylor are Jordan Travis, who spent his entire rookie season on NFI rehabbing a foot injury from late in his final season at Florida State, and Adrian Martinez, whose Green & White claim to fame so far is leading the Jets to eight scores (2 TDs, 6 FGs) in 14 preseason drives last August.
Running Back — This group has the potential to be one of the Jets' top RB threesomes. Third-year man Breece Hall fell short of 1,000 rush yards but put together a 1,359-scrimmage-yards campaign, No. 10 on the Jets all-time, and added to his growing list of explosives with a 42-yard run against Buffalo and a 57-yard reception a week later at Pittsburgh.
Rookies Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis also had their roles and moments in the sun. And they combined with Hall to provide the first season in franchise history in which the Jets had three backs, each of whom played in at least 14 games and logged at least 200 scrimmage yards, one rushing TD and one receiving TD. Lots of filtering going on there but the bottom line is that this trio came together to display two key RB traits: versatility and durability.
Also on the roster: Kene Nwangwu, who before suffering a season-ending injury got three ST touches in two games and turned one of those touches into his 99-yard kickoff-return TD vs. Seattle. He can become a free agent.
Wide Receiver — Garrett Wilson continued to build on the outstanding start to his Jets career. In year three, "G" became only the second Jet with 100 catches in a season, reaching 101 receptions and 1,104 yards — his career best by a yard over his 2022 total — in the season finale vs. the Dolphins, while also totaling a career-high 7 touchdowns. And he had arguably the catch of the year with his one-handed, very-back-of-the-end-zone spectacular vs. the Texans.
Behind Wilson, the members of the WR room are less certain. Davante Adams (854 yards and 7 TDs in 11 games) and Allen Lazard (37 receptions for a team-leading 14.3 yards/catch) are under contract, but the Jets may opt for cap savings with the pair. Malachi Corley, who got limited exposure as a third-round rookie (9 games, 83 offensive snaps, 5 offensive touches) is also signed up. Xavier Gipson also wasn't prominent on offense but was the Jets' primary punt and kickoff returner for a second season. Irvin Charles was making a bid as a Pro Bowl cover/gunner until his season-ending injury in Week 14 at Miami.
Tight End — TE could be a position of stability or change depending on Tyler Conklin's situation. "Conk," who contributed a career-high 4 TD catches last season and has 170 receptions for 1,622 yards in his three Jets seasons, can become an unrestricted free agent. So can Kenny Yeboah, which could leave Jeremy Ruckert (17 games, 18 catches, 105 yards), the Jets' third-round draft choice in '22, and Zack Kuntz, their seventh-rounder in '23, as the only tights on the roster before free agents and draft choices show up at One Jets Drive.
Line — Good news: The OL that began last season wound up healthier than the '23 line. Not as good news: The line didn't shake out the way the team envisioned as both LT Tyron Smith and first-round rookie LT Olu Fashanu suffered season-ending injuries and RT Morgan Moses also missed three games.
But back to the good news: The interior held up well with C Joe Tippmann and LG John Simpson logging 17 starts and 1,000-plus offensive snaps each, and RG Alijah Vera-Tucker was right behind with 15 starts. Returning Fashanu to the mix and acknowledging that Moses and Smith both can enter free agency, the Jets could have four-fifths of their starting lineup for '25 ready to hit the ground running — and passing — for the April start of the offseason program.
