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NY Post
New York Post
12 May 2023


NextImg:Eric Mangini: Aaron Rodgers acquisition means heat’s on Jets

The Hall of Fame quarterback is in place, added to a Jets roster already stocked with dynamic young offensive talent and a defense that ranked in the NFL’s top-five last season.

And, as of the ballyhooed NFL rollout Thursday night, the 2023 schedule is set.

Now comes the pressure

The Jets, who haven’t been to the playoffs in 13 years and have led the NFL in low expectations, now have some of the highest expectations in the league. With that comes immense pressure. Having traded for Aaron Rodgers, they now have to not only get to the playoffs, but they need to go deep into the postseason.

Because no one knows how many years the 39-year-old, four-time MVP has left in him, and that likely includes Rodgers himself.

The day after the Jets conducted their introductory press conference to present Rodgers to his new adoring public, I texted a high-ranking team official and suggested that if Rodgers is half as good on the field as he was in so masterfully handling his press conference, it’s going to be a hell of a year for the Jets.

“Prayers up,’’ was the response.

A couple of days later, I was asked by Sirius XM Radio host Charlie Weis, a former NFL and college football coach who was once a Jets assistant, what the vibe was like inside the building since Rodgers was acquired from the Packers.

Former Jets coach Eric Mangini says pressure will be high on Robert Saleh and the organization now that Aaron Rodgers is in the fold.
USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con

When I theorized that the pressure to win has now been ratcheted up to a level no Jets team has ever faced, Weis scoffed at the notion, insisting that head coach Robert Saleh wasn’t facing any added pressure.

“Bulls–t,’’ was the response when I relayed that to Eric Mangini, who was the Jets’ head coach from 2006-08.

“This has changed everything,’’ Mangini told The Post. “When you’re paying someone $100 million who’s a season removed from being the back-to-back offensive MVP, yeah, this is win or someone else is going to be calling the shots. I don’t even think it’s debatable.’’

Mangini, now an NFL analyst for FS1, has lived this. He starred in this production, had top-billing in this movie.

In 2008, Jets owner Woody Johnson, about to open a new stadium with PSLs and tickets to sell, essentially forced Brett Favre, acquired from the Packers, upon Mangini, who had made the playoffs two seasons earlier with a healthy Chad Pennington at quarterback.

Mangini was fired after the Jets finished 9-7 that season when an 8-3 start was sabotaged after Favre suffered a torn biceps tendon in his right shoulder and continued to play with it.

Keep in mind: The team owner hasn’t changed. Mangini went 10-6 his first year and, after a 4-12 campaign, went 9-7 in his third year before he was fired. The Jets, with a bare roster, went 4-13 in Saleh’s first year and were 7-10 last season after a 7-4 start, their season ruined by the poor quarterback play of former No. 2 overall draft pick Zach Wilson.

Despite the fact Saleh has done a marvelous job changing the culture and vibe around the Jets, anyone who doesn’t think his seat hasn’t gotten warmer with Rodgers in the house is naïve.

    Eric Mangini celebrates with Brett Favre after a win over the Titans in the 2008 season. But things went south for both Mangini and Favre after that.

    Eric Mangini celebrates with Brett Favre after a win over the Titans in the 2008 season. But things went south for both Mangini and Favre after that.
    Anthony J. Causi

    “I got fired after starting 8-3 and losing four of the last five and that was after having gone to the playoffs,’’ Mangini said.

    Make no mistake: Mangini is rooting for Saleh and the Jets and is bullish on the acquisition of Rodgers.

    “This makes everyone there better,’’ Mangini said. “They know they’ve got a chance to win every game now.’’

    Mangini said a huge positive is the fact that the Jets got Rodgers so early in the offseason and he already has offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, his former OC in Green Bay and a close friend, in place.

    The Jets acquired Favre in 2008 during the preseason, and Mangini said the team had to put the offense together on the fly with him. It was the definition of a shotgun marriage that didn’t work out.

    “Unless this is a Russell Wilson disaster, this should change the dynamic of the [AFC East] division,’’ Mangini said, referring to Denver’s acquisition of Wilson from Seattle, which blew up in the Broncos’ faces last season. “When is the last time the Jets have been significantly more relevant than the Patriots? It’s incredible.’’

    Another thing Mangini loves about Rodgers as a Jet?

    “You’ve got a motivated Aaron Rodgers,’’ he said. “A pissed off Aaron Rodgers is what you want. When he was pissed off about Jordan Love being drafted, he was MVP. When he was pissed off about his contract, he was MVP. A motivated, energized Aaron Rodgers, that’s awesome.

    “I would think for a person with his personality, this is like, ‘Can I overcome this new challenge? Can I do what Tom [Brady] did [winning a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay]?’ There are two different blueprints that have been set in the last couple of years — what happened with Russell and what happened with Tom.

    “Who’s [Rodgers] going to be? Where’s he going to fit in that? I would imagine for a smart, driven competitive, successful guy like Aaron, that’s like a jolt of competitive caffein.’’

    With a splash of pressure to the coaching staff to make it all work.