New York Jets tight end Tyler Conklin expects to have a breakout season with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback in 2024
Tight end Tyler Conklin has silently been one of the New York Jets’ most consistent players on the offense. And heading into the final year of his Jets contract, the 28-year-old believes he’s in a prime position to have a breakout season with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback.
Speaking to reporters after OTAs on Tuesday, Conklin didn’t hesitate to suggest that this season could be special.
“Speaking for myself, [I think] I really can take another step, a big step in my career,” said Conklin. “Having Aaron obviously is going to be helpful. But that’s the fun part about the offseason, right? It’s my favorite part of the year to go in there, besides actually playing the games, to go and be able to craft [myself] to be the best me possible when nobody’s looking. I’m excited to do that. After we get through OTAs and get our little break, I can show you guys what’s getting crafted.”
While the Jets tight end has proven to be proficient in contested catch situations, adding speed could mean adding separation. Because of that, one point of emphasis for Conklin this offseason has been increasing his speed.
“It’s a speed league, right? You can always try and get faster,” said Conklin. “I think the biggest thing for me is not only speed, but using that speed when it needs to be used. My biggest thing going into the offseason was yards after the catch. How do I turn a five-yard catch into a 12-yard catch or a 15-yard catch? For me, that’s probably going to be my biggest goal going into the offseason. Getting better after the catch, and I’ll leave that up to my trainers to help me.”
Another priority for Conklin this season is finding the end zone. While he was second among Jets players in receiving yards with 621, the tight end was unable to score a touchdown. That’s something he wants to change this season.
“It’s frustrating,” said Conklin on his lack of touchdowns last season. “No one wants to go a whole season without touching the end zone. But it is what it is, there’s nothing I can do about it. But I’ll tell you what, I am motivated to not let that happen again.”
However, the biggest factor could be spending more time with Rodgers inside the Jets offense. Conklin spoke to his ability to gel with Rodgers last year despite his injury. Heading into 2024, that consistency seems key to their success.
“It’s obviously really nice to have Aaron back,” stated the Jets tight end. “But I think the cool part is that towards the end of last year, getting some reps with him before the season was over, and then jumping right back into it … I think [playing in the same offensive system for another year] kind of goes under looked. There’s so much between coaches learning players and players learning coaches. Now everybody kind of knows the system. It’s also a part of learning Aaron. How [can] we all see the same thing, and be on the same page at all times. Obviously he does a lot of cool things after playing for 20 seasons. I do think [having success] is a big piece to it, being in the same offense for another year.”
So far, it seems like that familiarity is paying dividends. Conklin has picked up where he left off last season, being one of the standout players on the Jets offense during the OTA portion of the offseason.
If Conklin and Rodgers can improve their connection heading into the season, a potential breakout could be in store for the tight end in 2024.
