With the season at its conclusion, some of the New York Jets’ team leaders had a chance to reflect on the 2024 campaign at Monday’s locker room cleanout.
Cornerback Sauce Gardner addressed his play on the field and how he viewed his overall season.
“I feel like it was really OK. Obviously, there’s no secret. The standard that I have for myself and set for myself is on a different level. And that’s just me being my biggest critic. Even my season this year is not at my standard, but it would be an elite season, depending on who you’re talking about,” said Gardner.
“Obviously, I had a lot of missed tackles, and I’m gonna clean that up this offseason. In terms of coverage, like coverage, I did pretty good…but you know, I feel like it was OK.”
The cornerback also spoke about a potential contract extension and if he wants to still remain with the Jets.
“Just I take it one day at a time. I’m just going to let my agent handle that. Obviously, you know, I want to be a part of this for a long time. I want to be the reason and be a part of the change in this organization because if I were to go somewhere else and then it was to change, I’d be a hater. I’d probably be the number one hater. I want to be a part of it, a part of this for a long time.
Wide receiver Davante Adams said that he has “no idea” about his future and acknowledged that what happens with quarterback Aaron Rodgers will likely influence him if he stays in New York. The star wideout also spoke about how the Jets can change their culture.
“There are a lot of pieces that go into it. Every floor is important to changing the culture. You can win games, but establishing a winning culture is a different thing. You need guys to buy in, and you need a coach that is able to come in here, win over the players, and hold everybody accountable.”
Offensive tackle Tyron Smith acknowledged that his illustrious NFL career could be over, saying that he has to make “a lot of decisions” and wants to decide on his future after getting some time away. Smith also spoke about the 2024 season from his perspective.
“It was just a lot of lessons learned throughout the year and no good in the bad. But I’m glad I went through with these guys here, and, you know, it was a hell of a ride. We just got to move on to the offseason now and improve.”
On the other hand, linebacker C.J. Mosley said he “has not had any thoughts” about retiring from the sport of football. He also spoke about how the defense can improve in the 2025 season.
“We just have to make sure as a team we are doing things the right way every day, figuring out a mission to plan or a process, you know, whatever word you want to call it. But having that model for the team and for everybody as a player and coaching and living and dying about it, it’s not going to work every time,” said Mosley.
“You’re not going to win every time. Every victory and loss is not going to be pretty. But if we believe in that system and if we believe in taking the right steps to do that every single week, no matter the win or loss, then I think that’s going to be the right way for us to get to where we want to be.”
Tight end Tyler Conklin said that he “would love” to stay and keep his family in New York but acknowledged that nothing is certain. He also praised the locker room of the Jets, noting that the season was a “whirlwind” that would have caused other teams to have “more division” than the Jets did.
The Jets have a long road back to contention. They have to hire the right people at HC and GM, implement a winning culture, and invest all they can toward making improvements.
For New York, 2024 was a rough and downright ugly season at times. The Jets have to ensure that 2025 is the beginning of a reversal of their fortunes in the NFL landscape.
