Today, the Jets report to training camp.
It is the first time in a dozen years that the team will begin a season with championship-level expectations. It is the first time since a four-year stretch from 2008 to 2011 — beginning with Brett Favre’s arrival — that no dream is too big.
Aaron Rodgers’ presence invites it. It is unavoidable when discussing a four-time MVP and former Super Bowl champion, who steered his way to New York after 18 seasons in Green Bay, who believes he is the final piece needed to end the NFL’s longest playoff drought (2010) and bring the franchise its first Super Bowl in more than five decades.
Favre felt the same when he joined the Jets after Rodgers took his job. He initially made magic, leading the Jets to an 8-3 record, but ultimately failed to reach the postseason in his lone season with the team.
The Jets have spent every season since then relying on draft picks and journeymen under center who largely failed to elevate the team.
Though Rodgers instantly upgrades the offense, it is still uncertain if the 39-year-old will be the Jets’ savior.
In recent years, several teams have operated from the same playbook, taking big swings on aging star quarterbacks. Here’s how it’s worked out in Year 1 for each :
Donovan McNabb
After 11 years — including six Pro Bowl seasons and a Super Bowl appearance — with the Eagles, McNabb was traded to Washington in 2010. He won four of his first seven games, and was signed to a five-year extension worth $78 million (only $3.5 million was guaranteed). One month later, McNabb was benched, ending his worst season as a starter (14 passing touchdowns, 15 interceptions, 57.9 completion percentage) since his rookie year. He was traded in the offseason.
Peyton Manning
A neck injury and the selection of No. 1 overall pick Andrew Luck ended Manning’s 14-year run in Indianapolis. Manning went to Denver — replacing Tim Tebow — and finished second in the MVP voting after leading the Broncos to a 13-3 record and throwing for 4,659 yards with 37 touchdowns, 11 interceptions and a 68.6 completion percentage. The AFC’s No. 1 seed was stunned in double overtime in the divisional round of the playoffs by the Ravens, who would win the Super Bowl.
Tom Brady
The unthinkable occurred when the greatest of all time left New England after two decades. Brady had a strong debut season in Tampa — throwing for 4,633 yards with 40 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a 65.7 completion percentage — but the Buccaneers went 11-5 and were the No. 5 seed in the NFC. Then, Brady somehow elevated his legacy by winning three road games and earning his seventh Super Bowl ring with a decisive victory over Patrick Mahomes and the defending champion Chiefs.
Cam Newton
No player could replace Brady. Not even a former MVP. Newton, a free agent after nine years in Carolina, went 7-8 as New England’s starter, throwing eight touchdowns and 10 interceptions, as well as rushing for 12 scores. It was the first time the Patriots missed the postseason in 12 years. Newton was released before the following season.
Philip Rivers
The future Hall of Famer’s lone season in Indianapolis (2020) is probably better than you remember. After 16 seasons with the Chargers, Rivers signed with the Colts and threw for 4,169 yards, 24 touchdowns and 11 interceptions with a 68.0 completion percentage. The Colts went 11-5 and reached the postseason. Rivers retired after a Wild Card loss.
Matt Stafford
The long-suffering Lion earned his moment in the sun after 12 seasons in Detroit. After being traded to Los Angeles in 2021, Stafford threw for 4,886 yards and tied a career high with 41 touchdowns while notching his second-best quarterback rating (102.9). The Rams were the NFC’s No. 4 seed, but knocked off Brady and the defending champion Bucs in Tampa en route to the Rams’ first Super Bowl title since 1999.
Matt Ryan
He is now in a broadcast booth because of his lone season in Indianapolis. After 14 seasons in Atlanta, the former MVP went 4-7-1 as the Colts starter last season — throwing 14 touchdowns and 13 interceptions — and finished the season on the bench.
Russell Wilson
It shouldn’t be hard for Rodgers to clear this bar. After 10 seasons in Seattle, Wilson steered his way to Denver and signed a $245 million extension, which quickly became the league’s worst contract. Wilson posted a career-low 60.5 completion percentage and ranked 27th in the NFL in QBR while going 4-11 as the Broncos starter.
Today’s back page
Read more:
⚾ Yankees lineup shut down again in loss as Domingo German struggles … SHERMAN: Yankees may have too many holes to plug
⚾ Mets survive bullpen imploding in nail-biting win over White Sox … SHERMAN: Mets haven’t given up even with contenders awaiting sale sign
🏀 Evan Fournier vents all his Knicks frustrations in bombshell interview
⚽ USWNT’s young phenoms will be critical to World Cup hopes
It was just a dream
The Knicks have suffered almost as long as the Jets have. Five decades without a title — including arguably the worst quarter-century stretch of any team in the NBA — has often left their fans with little choice but to imagine another reality.
One where LeBron James spends his prime playing in the Garden. One where Kevin Durant does the same, bringing along Kyrie Irving to join No. 1 draft pick Zion Williamson.
Neither of those dreams came close to occurring. But now, after the team’s best season in 10 years, Knicks fans are being fed another fantasy.
As the 76ers weigh how to handle James Harden’s recent trade request, the face of the franchise is openly wondering what his future will look like.
“I just want to win a championship. Whatever it takes,” Joel Embiid said in a recent interview at the Uninterrupted Sports Film Festival. “I don’t know where that’s gonna be, whether it’s in Philly or anywhere else. I just want to have a chance to accomplish that.”
Well, New York certainly qualifies as “anywhere else.”
The Knicks also have assets unlike anyone else, with a combined six first-round picks in 2024 and 2025, as well as young and productive players — such as RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and Quentin Grimes — and a team president (Leon Rose) who used to be Embiid’s agent.
At least one sportsbook has made the Knicks the betting favorite to trade for the center.
But none of this means a deal will happen soon. And if Embiid is ever traded, it likely won’t end with him on the Knicks.
First, a trade request hasn’t been made. Embiid’s comment appears to be the type of passive-aggressive front office poke that LeBron James has perfected.
He doesn’t want Harden to leave Philadelphia, but if Harden is traded, Embiid wants peace of mind that he will have a new co-star capable of keeping the team in contention for a title.
If Embiid becomes unhappy — with the return in a trade for Harden or with Harden (again) throwing in the towel until his demand is met — he has little recourse. Next season, Embiid begins playing on a four-year, $213 million extension, which runs through 2026-27 and does not contain a no-trade clause.
A trade makes no sense for a team that endured “The Process” and would be set back several years without Embiid, 29, regardless of the trade partner.
Even if Embiid is ultimately traded, it is absurd to believe he would be sent to a long-standing division rival, where he could spend the years torturing his former team.
Multiple Western Conference teams (Mavericks, Pelicans, Lakers, Jazz, Thunder) — and don’t forget the Heat — could also make monster offers for Embiid without providing the added sting of him playing about 100 miles away. The Angels won’t entertain a deal for Shohei Ohtani with their most ideal trade partner on paper (Dodgers) for similar reasons.
Expect Embiid to spend next season in Philadelphia. There is still a good chance he will remain there until he approaches free agency in 2027.
But if the 76ers do decide to blow it up again, they won’t let the Knicks hand them the dynamite.
What’s next for Saquon?
Saquon Barkley and the Giants failed to agree on a new contract extension by Monday’s deadline, leaving the star running back staring at playing the season ahead on the franchise tag no player likes. So where does that leave Barkley and the Giants? The Post’s Ryan Dunleavy offers his thoughts on three of the most pressing questions:
1. You reported both sides were less than $2 million apart when talks broke down. For a team like the Giants trying to build off a playoff run, why not just bridge that seemingly small gap and get everyone into camp happy?
In the end, both sides felt they already had budged all they could budge to close what was a big gap early in negotiations, so neither wanted to give the final inches to make a deal. Sometimes, emotions run high in negotiations: Stubbornness and pride were big ingredients here.
It doesn’t make much sense for a team trying to take the next step to inject a distraction into its season over such a small financial difference. Barkley’s absence from training camp is going to cast a cloud over other offseason moves made to complement a Barkley-first offense. It’s also sure to be an annoyance to head coach Brian Daboll and teammates who have to answer endless questions about Barkley’s absence and the impact in the locker room.
Teammates feed off Barkley’s energy as the most popular co-captain. It happened last season during good times. It happened in 2021, when he lost some of his confidence, struggled after injury and was dejected. Is his frustration going to be contagious? The harmonious feel-good underdog vibes that marked last season’s Giants are gone.
An argument also could be made that Barkley should’ve been the last one to budge. He has more to lose than to gain. An injury-riddled or underperforming season sends him to free agency on a low note. A great season means the Giants can franchise tag him again (for $12.1 million), so he essentially has to earn back what they were ready to give to him.
Even if he has a great season without another tag, other teams will use the wear-and-tear that he accumulates to reach those numbers in 2023 against him in 2024 negotiations.
“He wasn’t helped by Joe Mixon taking a pay cut [Friday] with the Bengals,” NFL contracts analyst Joel Corry, a former agent, told Post Sports+. “That timing couldn’t have been worse.”
2. Do you foresee this stalemate in any way affecting Barkley’s willingness to play hard or sacrifice for the team once he does show up? Will the hard feelings linger?
Barkley cares as much about the combination of winning, earning the respect of his peers and leaving behind an on-field legacy (achieved through availability and statistics, of course) as any athlete I’ve covered. I didn’t think his absence into the regular season was possible until the last 24 hours, when it’s become clear how disrespected he feels.
Whenever Barkley rejoins the team, I have no doubt he will give a maximum effort. I’m not expecting fake injuries to mask a holdout and collect paychecks.
And let’s be clear: Some professional athletes in his shoes would do that.
Here’s what’s tricky: Barkley played a chunk of last season through pain in his shoulder because of a sense of loyalty to his team while the Giants were fighting to make the playoffs and to prove he could stay on the field for a full season and combat his injury-prone reputation. In 2019, he rushed back from a high ankle sprain when he still felt less-than-invincible.
In situations like those — where an injury is very real — will he be thinking, “If the Giants are not going to invest in me, I have to invest in myself and my body”? People advising him about his next contract will be telling him to make a “business decision” and not risk future earnings by leaving himself vulnerable.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was accused — rightly or wrongly — of not playing through injury in the playoffs last season because he didn’t have his long-term contract yet.
3. What can be done to help running backs get compensated fairly?
After Barkley, the Raiders’ Josh Jacobs and the Cowboys’ Tony Pollard each failed to reach long-term extensions, the Titans’ Derrick Henry, the Chargers’ Austin Ekeler and the Colts’ Jonathan Taylor all reacted negatively on social media. Even former Giants great Brandon Jacobs spoke out, suggesting the running back position should just be eliminated.
Taylor, who led the NFL in rushing in 2021, is eligible for an extension now as he enters his walk year. Is he going to cave to the devalued market price or hold his ground for big money? He’s a candidate for the 2024 franchise tag.
The Collective Bargaining Agreement runs through March 2030, so there is nothing to be negotiated by the players’ union until then.
The 2011 CBA is the one that unknowingly killed running backs, by essentially eliminating holdouts and re-negotiations until after Year 3 of a rookie contract.
Until 2030, the best move for a running back is to hold out as soon as Year 3 ends, when there is less wear-and-tear on the body, the team still sees the player in his prime and the pain of a wasted draft pick (especially a first-rounder subject to the fifth-year contractual option) is still fresh.
It won’t help this frustrated group, but maybe rookie Bijan Robinson of the Falcons learned a valuable lesson before he ever takes a snap.