Safety Jordan Whitehead compares 2023 Jets to 2020 Buccaneers

New York Jets safety Jordan Whitehead believes the 2023 edition of the club can mirror what he and the 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers accomplished following an upgrade at quarterback. 

"It was kind of the same situation I fell into when I was with the Bucs," Whitehead explained, per Jack Bell of the Jets website. "We had a great defense the year before, and we just needed one piece that was missing."

Of course, the "missing piece" for the Buccaneers proved to be quarterback Tom Brady. Brady famously earned six championship rings across two decades with the New England Patriots before he signed with Tampa Bay as a free agent in March 2020, and TB12 subsequently guided the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl title during his first season with the organization. 

Whitehead was part of that championship squad and hopes that a Jets team that sat at 7-4 in early December can achieve similar success after the franchise acquired Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers earlier this spring. 

"I tell the guys it's kind of like déjà vu for me," Whitehead added. "I let everyone know that we have to have the right group."

Last month, Jets cornerback and 2022 Defensive Rookie of the Year Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner noted how he hoped to improve during offseason workouts facing a Rodgers-led offense in practice. Whitehead, who joined the Jets last offseason and couldn't help prevent a late losing streak that cost the team a playoff berth, echoed Gardner's take. 

"On the field, he's making us better, we're getting the best we can get," Whitehead said about Gang Green's new QB1. "He's making us check down and communicate on another level. In the locker room, you see and hear him. He's a funny character. He's a good guy, open to everything. A real great guy."

Former Packers safety and kick returner Will Blackmon recently mentioned how Rodgers was "super cool," "funny" and "witty" as a teammate. Whitehead's comments indicate the honeymoon period involving Rodgers and the Jets will continue through at least the start of training camp.