The Jets returned to the field on Sunday for the first time in two weeks and the first time since owner Woody Johnson fired general manager Joe Douglas.
The team announced last week that it had hired 33, led by Mike Tannenbaum and Rick Spielman, to begin the process of finding a new GM and head coach.
It appears that ownership has set its sights on 2025.
However, there are still 6 games left in this season.
Now the players and coaches must find a way to stay motivated at 3-8 with the playoffs still mathematically possible but not realistically possible.
It begins with a visit from the Seahawks, who are 6-5 and in first place in the NFC West.
It feels like old friend Geno Smith and the Seahawks have everything to play for when the Jets play.
But they insisted this week that the locker room remains motivated.
“I didn’t feel like there was a single person on this team who deviated from staying engaged and preparing at the highest level,” said interim coach Jeff Ulbrich. “The energy was good. Details have improved. The approach was amazing, but so was how I felt the whole time. The process was right. The results were incorrect.
“This week.”
The Jets have lost seven of their last eight games this disappointing season. That includes a heartbreaking, last-minute loss to the Colts two weeks prior to their bye week.
They spent that time trying to find answers to what went wrong.
The Jets have lost five straight against the Seahawks, with their last win against Seattle coming in 2004.
“Listen, I mean, when you win, everything gets better. So if we win this time, things will get better, and if we win next time, we will feel better. But this is the hardest part at this point as things have been getting worse over the last few weeks,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. “This is ultimately what motivates guys. You can be an inspiration to men. [Ulbrich] It may leave a good quote, it may give us a good message, it may make for a good conversation on a Saturday night, but at the end of the day, it comes down to guys being individually motivated and wanting to play for something bigger than themselves. We all hope so.”
