Could the New York Jets replicate this championship-caliber team?
Optimism is at an all-time high in Florham Park.
Following the New York Jets’ training camp practice on Saturday, cornerback D.J. Reed compared the 2024 Jets to the 2019 NFC champions, the San Fransisco 49ers.
“I’ve been part of a Super Bowl team in 2019 when I was on the Niners,” Reed said. “And I would definitely say [laughs]… this team is definitely on that trajectory.”
When comparing the 2024 Jets to the 2019 Niners, Reed said what the Jets defense has done over the past two years is “self-explanatory,” but he compared the current Jets offense favorably to the 2019 Niners offense.
“Just looking at that team, I feel like our offense is honestly better, just with Aaron [Rodgers]. With Garrett [Wilson], I feel like Garrett is going to have a big year. And we still don’t even got Mike Williams. Him coming into the picture, that could totally change things for the positive. Even [Allen] Lazard, he’s been playing great as well in the beginning of training camp.”
The 2019 Niners offense was headlined by Jimmy Garoppolo, Raheem Mostert, Deebo Samuel, and George Kittle.
As Reed stated, the Jets offense has the pieces to be even better than San Francisco’s 2019 unit. Rodgers provides an upgrade at quarterback over Garoppolo. Wilson is the Jets’ clear-cut No. 1 receiver, and the Ohio State product hopes to become one of the league’s best offensive players in 2024. Williams is a dynamic No. 2 threat across from Wilson, averaging 71.6 receiving yards per game since 2021. Williams is aiming to be fully recovered from his ACL tear by the season opener, which he suffered during Week 3 of last season.
Although it was evident Lazard did not live up to expectations in 2023, he has looked great so far throughout training camp, which Reed brought up in his press conference.
As for the Jets defense, this is not the first time Reed has used a historical comparison for the unit. Reed went viral in September 2023 for comparing the Jets defense to the 1985 Bears. The statement followed the Jets’ appearance on Hard Knocks and all of the hype surrounding the team entering 2023. While the Jets did not quite match that lofty standard, they still allowed the third-fewest yards per game in the NFL.
Reed was selected by the 49ers in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL draft. He spent two seasons in San Fransisco, playing under then-49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. During the 49ers’ 2019 Super Bowl-bound season, Reed appeared in all 19 regular season and playoff games, playing 125 snaps on defense and 164 on special teams. In the team’s Super Bowl LIV loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Reed did not play any defensive snaps but made one tackle on special teams.
The 49ers waived Reed in August 2020, and he was quickly claimed by the Seattle Seahawks. Reed broke out for Seattle in the 2021 season, which led to him signing a three-year, $33 million deal with the Jets in 2022.
Since adding Reed, the Jets defense has been elite. Most of the defense’s primary contributors over the past two seasons, including the dominant cornerback trio of Reed, Michael Carter II, and two-time All-Pro Sauce Gardner, will return for 2024.
When Pro Football Focus recently ranked the top 32 cornerbacks in the NFL, Reed, Carter, and Gardner were all ranked within the top 15. Gardner and Carter were both ranked within the top 10.
With a very talented defense and a healthy Aaron Rodgers, the Jets hope to match Reed’s comparison of the 2019 Niners – while taking it one step further and finishing it off with a Lombardi Trophy.
