Expectations for the 2023 season were already high for Aaron Rodgers and the Jets as training camp started. They only increased once they reeled in running back Dalvin Cook for their backfield.
Now as Cook prepares for his first season away from the Minnesota Vikings, he’s expecting big things in New York.
Steve Serby of the New York Post interviewed the running back, which touched on a wide range of topics. One that was front and center, though, was the Jets’ championship aspirations ahead of their Week 1 matchup with the Buffalo Bills.
Cook sounds as optimistic about New York’s chances to hoist the Lombardi Trophy as everyone else associated with the Jets:
I think it’s very realistic. Obviously you look at the roster, you look at the people we’ve added and the things that we already had, just combining that in one, and I think it’s something to be excited about. We just gotta go out there and do our part.
That’s why I came, that’s why I’m here, to help any way I can to get to where we need to go, and that’s holding up the trophy, and that’s what we’re trying to do.
👉 NY Sports Online Betting: Best Sportsbook Apps
The Jets enter 2023 with plenty to accomplish, as well as plenty of people watching them to see if they can get it done. New York last appeared in the NFL Playoffs during the 2010 season. That’s when a squad led by Rex Ryan and Mark Sanchez lost in their second straight AFC Championship Game.
Gang Green’s 12-season playoff drought is the league’s longest. They also haven’t appeared in a Super Bowl since Joe Namath made good on his guarantee in Super Bowl III. So, there are a lot of demons the Jets will need to exorcise throughout this season. It sounds like Cook and the rest of the dudes are ready to make a run at it.
The entire interview is worth a read. Cook also talked about teaming up with Breece Hall once he’s fully back from his ACL injury, as well as how both he and Rodgers wanted to play with one another.
So, I guess Cook wasn’t just baiting the Jets into getting another team to sign him after all. Sounds like he’s all in on helping Gang Green get back to the Promised Land. New York has done what it can to put the right roster together to be a contender. Now, they just have to go out and prove the front office right.
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
