The New York Jets’ defense may look very different in 2025

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A look at what’s happening around the New York Jets:

1. A review is coming: Ten of the defense’s top 16 leaders are set to hit free agency, and injured linebacker CJ Mosley will likely be a salary cap casualty this offseason. Translation: The Jets’ defense, the team’s foundation since 2022, will look different in 2025.

And that’s probably a good thing.

He could use a facelift after a disappointing season in which he has failed to protect a fourth-quarter lead in five of the Jets’ 10 losses. In three of those games, the defense allowed the winning or tying score in the final minute of regulation.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. Remember the offseason narrative? The Jets thought a healthy Aaron Rodgers would mean an increase in scoring, creating more opportunities for the defense to enjoy the fruits of a lead, namely more obvious passing. That would lead to more catches, more takeaways, more everything.

Rodgers & Co. have been inconsistent. When they do take a lead, it usually doesn’t last long because the defense hasn’t mastered the art of closing out.

“Maybe we got too comfortable having all those guys, all those playmakers on offense, to the point where it’s like we’re not holding up our end of the deal,” cornerback Sauce Gardner said.

If that’s true, it speaks to a worrying mindset. Scheme, training and personnel are also factors.

In crucial moments, the pass rush disappears, he allows fragmented plays in the passing game and commits ill-timed penalties. The defense ranks fourth in yards allowed, a misleading statistic if ever there was one.

Cornerback DJ Reed said the defense often “appreciated” late-game opportunities to protect a lead. And now?

“It’s very disappointing,” he said. “It’s very shocking.”

Reed, Chuck Clark, Jalen Mills, Brandin Echols, Isaiah Oliver and Tony Adams are the defensive backs headed to free agency. So is rising middle linebacker Jamien Sherwood. Up front, Haason Reddick, Javon Kinlaw and Solomon Thomas are all on expired contracts.

There will be many new players next season. And also a new coaching staff.

A reboot for a drive that needs it.

2. Thin Pick-ins: In a season that is difficult to explain, this is perhaps the most difficult trend to explain: the Jets are no longer intercepting the ball.

They have just two starts (both by Echols), having gone eight straight games (252 pass attempts) without a pick. In fact, they have yet to intercept a ball since coach Robert Saleh was fired in Week 6.

The Jets, tied with the New York Giants for fewest interceptions, are flirting with an all-time record of futility. The NFL record for fewest interceptions in a season is two, and is held by the 2018 San Francisco 49ers. Interestingly, Saleh was the defensive coordinator and one of his cornerbacks was Reed.

“Dang,” Reed said, when informed of the historical parallel.

There are several reasons for the current crisis. One factor is that the Jets are playing more man-to-man coverage than last season. That usually produces fewer interceptions because they have their back to the quarterback.

Gardner’s drought spans three seasons: a total of 36 games without a pick.

3. Red alert: The Jets aren’t getting much production from Reddick. He has 0.5 sacks in 128 pass rush attempts, a sack percentage of 0.4%, which ranks 99th among 105 pass rushers (minimum: 125 rushes), according to Next Gen Stats.

Jets castoffs Carl Lawson (Dallas Cowboys) and Bryce Huff (Philadelphia Eagles) rank higher at 2% and 1.8%, respectively.

“Everything that we thought we were going to accomplish with him, everything that we had seen on tape that made us pursue him as hard as we did, has come to light,” interim coach Jeff Ulbrich said, stating that Reddick’s numbers are down. due to limited opportunities. .

4. High order: Rookie running back Braelon Allen received recognition from the coaches in a video session.

In last week’s game, he made a nice open-field block on Miami Dolphins defensive end Calais Campbell, protecting Rodgers on a bootleg. Rodgers eventually fired a 42-yard completion to Garrett Wilson.

The 6-foot-8 Campbell could one day end up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“I thought, ‘Wow, this guy is a huge human being,'” Allen said, adding, “Nobody’s going to outdo me physically, no matter what.”

He handled the task with the poise of a veteran. He and fellow rookie running back Isaiah Davis, who scored in each of the last two games, have been among the few bright spots.

5. Clumsy warm-up: You know it’s a tough year when players get hurt before the game even starts. It has happened to at least three players: tackle Morgan Moses (wrist), Mosley (neck) and nickelback Michael Carter II (hamstring).

Perhaps the franchise’s most famous pregame injury occurred in 1996, when quarterback Neil O’Donnell tore a calf muscle while slipping on rain-soaked grass. It took place on a Jets logo painted in the end zone, a bad omen if ever there was one.

6. Sam the man: Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold has 28 touchdown passes, matching the combined total from his last two seasons with the Jets (2019-2020).

Darnold is eligible for free agency. A Darnold-Jets reunion seems unlikely, although it could be made more attractive by hiring Vikings assistants Brian Flores and Josh McCown as the Jets’ head coach and offensive coordinator, respectively. The Darnold-McCown friendship began in 2018 as Jets teammates.

7. Did you know? Rodgers, who threw for 339 yards last week, looks to join Tom Brady (37), Drew Brees (8), Brett Favre (6) and Vinny Testaverde (3) as players under 40 with multiple 300-yard passes. Games in NFL history.

Favre never had a 300-yard game in his 16 games with the Jets. It took Rodgers 13 games to reach the number.

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Mark Gastineau and Brett Favre have tense moment over sack record

In this excerpt from “The New York Sack Exchange” from 30 for 30, Mark Gastineau has a tense exchange with Brett Favre over Favre’s dismissal of Michael Strahan to break Gastineau’s single-season sack record.

8. What could have been: If everything had gone according to plan, it would be Trevor Lawrence against Zach Wilson in Sunday’s Jacksonville Jaguars-Jets game at EverBank Stadium, a matchup between the No. 1 and No. 2 overall picks in the 2021 draft, respectively.

Unfortunately for the Jets and Jaguars, the plan often goes awry. Lawrence went on injured reserve last week and Wilson is the Denver Broncos’ third player.

9. Screen! The Jets are vulnerable to screen passes on defense. They know it, everyone knows it. When you employ an attack style, the screens will burn you. They’ve done a good job of camouflaging it… well, until last week.

The Dolphins attacked them on nine screens for 67 yards, according to ESPN Research. For the season, the Jets have allowed just 109 yards (28).

10. The last word: “They approached me about filming my rehab. That became an offseason thing and, I mean, I’m glad it’s over.” — Rodgers on his upcoming Netflix documentary, “Aaron Rodgers: Enigma.”