Plenty of early signs already existed to suggest that the Jets’ new regime had started to build a sustainable foundation.
Talks of Aaron Glenn’s culture overhaul percolated from press conferences during training camp. The divorce with Aaron Rodgers was messy, to a point where it became obvious that the inevitable Rodgers antics would contrast with the direction Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey planned to take the Jets. Two years worth of drama gave way to six-plus months of stability.
And then in a span of 24 hours, the Jets provided more than $250 million worth of evidence — their most tangible clues yet — to suggest there is, in fact, a turnaround underway in Florham Park.
Cornerback Sauce Gardner and the Jets agreed to a four-year, $120.4 million extension Tuesday just one day after star wideout Garrett Wilson landed a four-year, $130 million one. They’re both under contract through the 2030 season now. Worries of Wilson demanding a trade and forcing his way out — legitimate ones, too, after reports started surfacing near the end of last season — evaporated. Their joint desire to become part of the solution to decades of losing, instead of just joining the list of the latest stars to fall short, was rewarded. Owner Woody Johnson, Mougey and Glenn are building around their best players, and what happens in the seasons that follow could serve as the reward for that trust.
