The Jets had one thing going for them—the promise of a better tomorrow in the form of likely No. 1 draft pick Trevor Lawrence. But now, barring a Jaguars victory in either of their next two games against Chicago and Indianapolis, the dream of Lawrence playing in the Big Apple is all but dead. Leave it to the Jets to not even tank properly.
Of course, tanking isn’t as easy as it seems. You try telling 53 players who have worked their entire lives to get to the NFL, many of whom are playing for their next contract, to roll over and play dead for 16 games. And why would Adam Gase, who knows his New York tenure is coming to an end anyway, even remotely care where the Jets pick in next year's draft?
Though the Jets saved themselves the embarrassment of a winless season, they may have cost themselves a generational talent in Lawrence, who has lost just once (34-1 as starter) in his three-year stint at Clemson. By virtue of their win over the Rams in Week 15, the Jets hold the “tiebreaker” (strength of schedule) over Jacksonville (also 1-13), giving the Jags the inside track to the top pick in next year’s draft. The only thing worse than being bad is not being bad enough, and that’s precisely where the Jets find themselves now. Sunday's 23-20 win in Los Angeles left them with just a 25% probability of drafting first overall.
While a majority of fans would have preferred the Jets lose, bolstering their chances of landing Lawrence, players have largely resisted that narrative including first-round rookie Mekhi Becton. In speaking with SNY’s Jeane Coakley, the 6’7” tackle delivered a strong message to anyone in favor of tanking. “If you wanted us to lose, you’re not a real fan, honestly,” said Becton, calling out “fans” who wanted the Jets to go 0-16. “We wanted the win and we got it. That’s our goal right now. We want to go get another win.”
You can’t blame Becton for giving it his all, though in this particular instance, it may have cost his team a franchise quarterback.
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