Aaron Rodgers Aug 26, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) celebrates his touchdown pass against the New York Giants during the first half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Jets are set to embark on a season that’s filled with expectations. And while there’s plenty of hype surrounding a franchise that’s ready to make some noise, not everyone is buying the fanfare around Gang Green.

One of those not totally buying into the hype is Fox sports broadcaster Chris Myers, who took some time to speak with Brandon Contes of Awful Announcing recently, where he detailed a few reasons why he’s hesitant about the Jets and the expectations that surround them.

“I think they’re getting overhyped. But first of all, it’s New York, and it’s Aaron Rodgers,” Myers told Contes during the most recent episode of the Awful Announcing Podcast. “And Aaron is just a fascinating guy. He’s one of the most analytical people I’ve ever watched, let alone an analytical quarterback, in terms of how he analyzes himself, the game, his teammates, the broadcasters. Any team that adds Aaron Rodgers is an upgrade, but I’m still a little hesitant for a couple of reasons.”

The first reason is that Robert Saleh is a relatively new head coach. Saleh is 11-23 in his first two seasons as a head coach but had a team that had the worst quarterback play in the league right in the thick of playoff contention for a good chunk of the 2022 season before the other shoe eventually fell off. While the record certainly speaks for itself, he took over a team that Adam Gase drove into the ground and has helped turn them into one with Super Bowl aspirations —the addition of Rodgers doesn’t hurt— despite having not won more than seven games in a season during his 34 game tenure.

But any concerns, especially when considering the Jets lost six straight games to finish off last season, are definitely valid.

Another concern is being in the AFC East, a division where all four teams could collectively be playoff-bound.

“You’re in a division —the Jets are— with some very good teams,” Myers continued. “Even with a downtrodden Patriots team, you still have Bill Belichick, who can outcoach you once in a while, or at least can do enough coaching to get a win when he probably shouldn’t. I think Buffalo and Miami are really good football teams as well.

“But I think it’s good and the NFL’s really been fun that way in what we’ve had…Russell Wilson moves, it didn’t work out, but it was still a big story. And then, you get the other side of that where Geno Smith, who was tossed aside, revives his career, turns Seattle, and takes them to the playoffs. You have veteran quarterbacks who get all these headlines and these young guys coming in, Who’s gonna be the next…It’s Joe Burrow or [Justin] Herbert or obviously [Patrick] Mahomes is the standard at the moment. Even though [Drew] Brees and those guys have moved on, and who knows how much longer Aaron Rodgers will play?

“I think that’s fun, but as far as the Jets, yeah, right away…You noticed this when Tom Brady went to the [Buccaneers], right away, they went into primetime, as many as they could fill; Sunday night, Monday night. The Jets, who were barely in primetime, the minute they get Rodgers on the schedule, we don’t know how good they’re gonna be but we’re assuming they’re gonna be good. Right away in their primetime, however many they can fill, so a star quarterback will do that for you. You just have to hope the team holds up around them, or at least they come through for that team.”

We’ll have to see ultimately how New York fares this season, as Rodgers will make his Jets debut in prime time on Monday night at MetLife Stadium.

[Awful Announcing Podcast]

About Sam Neumann

Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.