Mosley: 'Playoffs or bust' for Jets in 2022
The New York Jets haven't made the playoffs since the 2010 season - the longest active drought in the NFL - but linebacker C.J. Mosley believes this is the year his team will finally play meaningful games in January.
"I'm really expecting playoffs or bust," Mosley said, according to Mark Inabinett of AL.com. "Obviously, that's my goal every year, but I think it's something that's a realistic goal for our entire team and our coaches."
New York went 4-13 last year, ranking last in the AFC East for the fifth time in the last six seasons. It was the Jets' first campaign with head coach Robert Saleh, who joined the club last offseason to replace Adam Gase.
"Last year, everyone was kind of learning the system and learning each other," Mosley said. "This year, coming into the offseason, you can tell guys already know it, and we're two steps ahead of where we were last year as far as being in the playbook. We know what we have to do, guys are comfortable and now it's all about going out there and making plays and executing, so I think that's going to be the biggest step for us this year."
Mosley played his first full season with the Jets in 2021. The 30-year-old joined the team in 2019 on a five-year, $85-million deal but was limited to two games that season due to injury. He then opted out of the 2020 campaign due to COVID-19.
"Being out pretty much two years, it put a lot of things in perspective," said Mosley, who amassed a team-high 168 tackles, two sacks, and two forced fumbles last year.
"Everybody's human, so when you're out that long of a time, a lot of things run in your head about how long you want to play, you're getting older, who's the next guy, those type of things. But at the end of the day, I had to come out here by myself and put in the hard work, and it paid off this past season."
The Jets drafted four rookies who are expected to start: wide receiver Garrett Wilson, running back Breece Hall, defensive end Jermaine Johnson, and cornerback Sauce Gardner.