Will New York Jets fans ever catch a break? After yet another tumultuous season, the beginning of the offseason has produced overwhelmingly negative headlines for the club. Last week’s Mecole Hardman news was just the most recent.
However, the media circus actually started on Jan. 31, a few days before Super Bowl LVIII. That day, The Athletic released a lengthy, deep dive into the dysfunctional inner workings of the organization. The viral piece, which cited 30 different anonymous sources around the team, painted an unflattering picture of Gang Green. Jet Nation sounded off on social media, with some fans showing skepticism toward the article’s credibility.
The Hardman vs. New York Jets timeline
One of the main themes of the article was concerns from Saleh and star quarterback Aaron Rodgers about leaks from within the organization. Naturally, even more leak-related news came out a few weeks later. Apparently, some players even believed Hardman willingly gave opponents the team’s offensive game plan due to frustrations over his lack of playing time. With this story now having had a few days to marinate, let’s analyze its big-picture implications. Is it actually valid? If so, what does it say about the current state of the team?
It all started when Hardman openly criticized the team on the Pivot Podcast, with punter Thomas Morstead promptly firing back.
Jets punter Thomas Morstead clapped back at Mecole Hardman who was traded midseason to the Chiefs ? pic.twitter.com/q0568CZaDx
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 28, 2024
Of course, Morstead was referring to Mecole Hardman getting benched for wide receiver Xavier Gipson in training camp, which eventually led to him getting shipped back to Kansas City. Shortly after, SNY’s Connor Hughes fired off this tweet:
Yes, I’m told there was validated belief from the #Jets that WR Mecole Hardman, frustrated by his lack-of usage, leaked game plans to the opposition, as implied by several players (Sauce Gardner, Kenny Yeboah) today.
Not just the #Eagles game, but also the #Chiefs.… pic.twitter.com/d6LlvPnDaJ
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) February 29, 2024
All-Pro Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner co-signed the rumors with some not-so-subtle activity on his own X account.
In a post since deleted, sauce seems to indicate that mecole hardman leaked the offensive gameplan vs the eagles. pic.twitter.com/A7iqwJhQi9
— Michael (@TrpkovskiM1) February 28, 2024
Unsurprisingly, Hardman denied any wrongdoing a couple days later.
There were FALSE accusations made about me and MY CHARACTER! To set the record straight, I have never and would never leak gameplans to another team. I have never been a person to give an opponent an upper hand I always want to win no matter the circumstances!!!!!
— Mecole Hardman Jr. (@MecoleHardman4) March 1, 2024
While there isn’t any concrete proof against Mecole Hardman, it’s clear that there’s no love lost between him and New York. Regardless of the validity of the accusations, this situation is just one of many examples of why the Jets are currently in the midst of a 13-year playoff drought.
It starts at the Top For the New York Jets
Owner Woody Johnson has been the common denominator throughout the longest-running postseason drought in North American sports. Ever since 2010, the much-maligned chairman has continually prioritized publicity over winning, hired the wrong candidates to run the front office, and misguidedly meddled in football operations. Case studies include the failed Tim Tebow experiment of 2012; temporarily allowing former head coach Adam Gase to be interim general manager in 2019; and hiring several failed regimes.
Thoughts on the Russini/Rosenblatt Athletic Article about the 2023 Jets Circus:
1. Hackett is not a good coach
2. Although I’m taking all of it with a grain of salt, Saleh’s insecurity throughout the year and excuse making is unbecoming of a great head coach
3. Lot of shots at…
— NYJ Matt (@NYJ_Matt) January 31, 2024
In the Athletic article, reporters Zach Rosenblatt and Dianna Russini outlined examples of Johnson foolishly inserting himself in roster and coaching decisions.
Ahead of a Week 11 game against the Bills, the Jets went younger, reducing playing time for veterans like tight end C.J. Uzomah, running back Dalvin Cook, Cobb and Lazard in favor of younger players and rookies, like sixth-round running back Israel Abanikanda, fourth-round tackle Carter Warren, undrafted receivers Jason Brownlee and Xavier Gipson and second-year tight end Jeremy Ruckert. The approach was approved by Johnson…
Additionally, the article mentioned that Johnson would show Saleh critical tweets about the offense in discussions about how to improve the situation. While these two examples might not seem significant, Johnson should not even be a factor in any of these decisions or conversations. He should have nothing to do with starting lineup approvals or offensive strategy, as he’s not a football expert.
The New York Jets need to establish continuity
This type of nonsensical chaos trickles down to the rest of the organization, causing a toxic domino effect. Johnson doesn’t let the people he hired do their jobs independently, causing distraction and confusion in the building. This creates disgruntled employees, which leads to anonymous inside sources leaking information.
If the Jets don’t make the playoffs in 2024, Saleh and current general manager Joe Douglas will be ousted. At some point, the organization needs to establish long-term legitimacy. No team in history has ever reached the promised land by having a revolving door at quarterback, head coach, and the front office. In order to avoid more catastrophes, the team must cut down on distractions and focus on winning games. This way, it can actually keep its nucleus intact for the time being, rather than going through yet another New York Jets overhaul.
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Joshua is a diehard Yankees, Jets, Knicks, Rutgers, and Tottenham Hotspur fan. He started his journalism career as the Sports Editor for the Rutgers University newspaper. When he’s not watching a game or writing about one, you can find him in an art-house movie theater or writing a screenplay.
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