FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Fifteen years ago, the New York Jets made the splashiest trade in franchise history, acquiring a legendary, late-30s quarterback from the Green Bay Packers with the hope of energizing the franchise, saving a third-year coach from doom and satisfying a success-starved owner. Brett Favre led them to an 8-3 start in 2008, but he hurt his arm and the whole season fell apart.
The 2023 Jets are in a similar situation. This time, the third-year coach is Robert Saleh, but the success-starved owner hasn't changed (Woody Johnson) and neither has the decades-old quest to find the "missing piece," as Johnson called it recently.