NFL insider rips Jets fans 'in denial' about club's culture

NFL insider Dianna Russini of The Athletic responded to the backlash she and fellow reporter Zack Rosenblatt received from New York Jets fans regarding a story published on Jan. 31 about all that went wrong for the organization this past season. 

"I think Jets fans are in denial," Russini said during an appearance on the "Pardon My Take" podcast, as shared by Manny Gomez of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. "They want to call people liars because they don’t want to believe that it’s that bad, that the culture is that awful. So don’t blame the team, blame the reports that uncovered all of this."

The original article included information from "30 sources in and around the" Jets and detailed, among other things, how the relationship between Week 1 starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers and backup Zach Wilson allegedly deteriorated after Rodgers suffered a torn Achilles four offensive snaps into the regular-season opener. 

Russini and Rosenblatt also said that head coach Robert Saleh was sent "into a tailspin" after it was leaked that Wilson was "reluctant to step back into the starting role" following his latest benching this past fall. 

Most assume Jets owner Woody Johnson retained Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas because they are backed by Rodgers.  

Russini is a New Jersey native and hinted during the podcast that living in the region often makes for an awkward mix of her personal and professional life. 

"Because I live in an area where there are Jets fans, like, at the eye doctor the guy who was helping me, he’s like, 'Come on,'" Russini added. "People want me to say 'All right, we dramatized it, it’s not really that bad, Aaron’s great, he’s kumbaya with everybody.' When the reality is it’s a mess in New York. It’s really bad."

Saleh accumulated a record of 18-33 across his first three seasons with the Jets, and the franchise is responsible for the longest active playoff drought among the four major North American sports leagues. 

While Rodgers may want to continue playing for up to four more years, it's believed that Johnson could part ways with the 40-year-old signal-caller, Saleh and Douglas if the 2024 Jets fail to participate in the franchise's first postseason game since January 2011.