C.J. Mosley says Jets are embracing target on their backs: ‘Exactly what we want’
With the acquisition of Aaron Rodgers this offseason, the Jets have some sky-high expectations heading into the 2023 season. Many view them as one of the favorites in the AFC and a potential Super Bowl contender.
Linebacker C.J. Mosley knows that’s putting a bigger target on the teams back and he says their embracing that.
"Whether the disrespect came from people chalking up a 'W' when they saw the Jets coming up on the schedule or the history or whatever it was. Now it’s just a bigger target on our back and that’s exactly what we want," Mosley said following Tuesday's practice.
"We want more people to give us everything they have. We want to go into other stadiums and hear everything they have to say so we can shut them up after the game is over. That’s what it’s gonna take to win the Super Bowl, grow as a team, and be competitive."
While the Jets offense struggled at times last season, Mosley and the defense are coming off another strong year.
Robert Saleh’s unit was again among the best in football. Mosley help lead the way from his linebacker position, appearing in all 17 games and making a total of 158 tackles, the second-most in his career.
Heading into Year Three together, the 30-year-old knows it’s going to be tough to repeat last season’s performance, but he’s excited for the challenge and ready to continue growing.
"It’s never easy finishing top-5 or top-10 in the league in defense. Think about a couple of years ago when we were one of the worst defenses, that was a long tough season," he said. "But through those tough times we learned a lot as a team and a defense.
"It just brings more opportunity for us to keep growing. We can show different things because we trust each other. We can look at different things and try different things because we know the personnel. We just have that confidence and we’re just trying to keep building forward."
With Rodgers at the helm and with offensive weapons and this talented defense around him, there’s no denying there’s a different buzz in the Jets locker room. The quarterback hasn’t been afraid to talk about his championship aspirations and Mosley feels the same way.
"When I signed here that was my goal and my expectations, that’s why we’re here," he said. "We’re here to win, we’re here to win championships, and we’re here to be a great team for a long time."
