Aaron Rodgers is leaving a path of destruction in his wake with latest Jets firing

When the New York Jets traded for Aaron Rodgers ahead of the 2023 NFL season, the expectations were clear. It was Super Bowl or bust for this franchise that hadn't made the playoffs since the 2010 season.

Four plays into Rodgers' Jets career brought catastrophe to the organization. He had torn his Achilles tendon, ending his season and the team's season in an eye blink. As unfortunate as that injury was, the 2023 season proved that the Jets seemingly had a roster that was just a healthy Rodgers away from being able to win it all. That couldn't have been more false.

Rodgers has started all 11 games for New York, yet the team is 3-8. Robert Saleh was fired earlier this season as a way to try and spark things, but that did not work. Davante Adams was acquired via trade for the same purpose, but that did not work. Now, with Woody Johnson running out of options and New York coming off another heartbreaking loss, the Jets have fired GM Joe Douglas according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

This doesn't come as a major surprise. The Jets were sure to part with Douglas after the season anyway assuming the team missed out on the playoffs. Plus, it's not as if his 30-64 record proves that he should've stuck around.

Still, while the Jets make move after move to try and right the ship, one constant has remained. Aaron Rodgers is still around, and continues to be the recent worst thing to happen to the Jets franchise.

Jets continue to blame everyone but Aaron Rodgers with latest firing

Was Douglas perfect? Of course not. Again, he was 30-64 in parts of six seasons as Jets GM. His teams never won more than seven games in a single season. The Jets never sniffed the playoffs. Douglas was the one who whiffed badly on the Zach Wilson pick which forced the Jets into the Rodgers situation anyway. Douglas was also the GM who traded for Rodgers. He did some good, but also a lot of bad. His firing isn't undeserved in the slightest.

With that being said, though, it can't be overlooked that Rodgers is seemingly the only survivor from this franchise overhaul. It's abundantly clear now that Saleh was not to blame for the team's misfortunes this season. The Jets started 2-3 with Saleh and were 1.0 game back of the Buffalo Bills for first place in the AFC East. They've gone 1-5 since, and now trail Buffalo by 6.0 games. They're one of the worst teams in the AFC.

Douglas wasn't perfect, but he's the one responsible for building a roster many thought at the very least should've been a playoff team. Rodgers was a huge part of that. He, and his teammates, simply failed to execute all year long. Is that really Douglas' fault?

The Jets ranked 29th in the NFL last season, averaging 15.8 points per game. This season, they're 26th averaging 18.5 points per game. They've improved, but barely, and that's with going from Zach Wilson, a third-stringer in Denver, to Rodgers, a future Hall of Famer. Even with his old buddy Davante Adams, the Jets are averaging 18.2 points per game. The Jets have stars all over the field on offense, yet have been nearly as dysfunctional as they were with a third-stringer last season.

The Jets are 3-8, but five of their losses have come by one possession. Rodgers is the one who hasn't come through in several of those games when that's the sole reason he was brought aboard to begin with.

The Douglas firing, again, isn't undeserved. His record speaks for itself. Still, Rodgers found a way to be the only survivor in what has become a franchise overhaul cannot be overlooked, especially when he is the problem. If the Jets want a true reset, it'd behoove them to get rid of the biggest problem (that they can) once and for all.