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New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas. Tom Horak-USA TODAY Sports

Takeaways from Jets 'Hard Knocks' finale

By Matthew Neschis | Last updated 9/6/23

Not even a pack of crows or soaring aliens can stop the high-flying New York Jets.

The final episode of "Hard Knocks '23: Training Camp with the New York Jets" put a bow on one of the most eventful offseasons in franchise history. And while the vibes surrounding the deprived Jets fanbase are currently at an all-time high, the true test still lies ahead.

Here are three takeaways from this week's series finale.

Joe Douglas' full-circle moment

GM Joe Douglas' cameo in this season of "Hard Knocks" was surprisingly not his first in the series. The 47-year-old initially appeared in front of the cameras 22 years ago while serving as a player personnel assistant with the Baltimore Ravens.

As "The Turk," or self-proclaimed "Grim Reaper," Douglas was tasked with bringing fringe-roster players to the GM's office, where they'd be informed that they were getting cut.

When the Jets were named as the feature team in this year's "Hard Knocks," Douglas and co. refused to allow the film crew an inside look into roster cuts.

Now as GM, Douglas' appearance in this week's episode was a far happier one. Cameras captured the heartwarming moment Douglas and head coach Robert Saleh informed undrafted wide receivers Jason Brownlee and Xavier Gipson that they made the Jets 53-man-roster.

The best part of #HardKnocks? Seeing guys like @nyjets rookie WR Xavier Gipson find out they made the team. @Gipson22X

New #HardKnocks tonight at 10pm ET on @StreamOnMax pic.twitter.com/BsNpWFq4OE
— NFL (@NFL) September 5, 2023

Aaron Rodgers' alien encounter

It took until the final episode of Hard Knocks for quarterback Aaron Rodgers to show his mystic side — though the 39-year-old wasn't discussing his ayahuasca trip or darkness retreat. Instead, he divulged the extraterrestrial activity he encountered years ago.

While staying at a college teammate's home in New Jersey in leadup to the 2005 draft, Rodgers witnessed a "tremendously large object" soaring through the sky, followed close behind by several fighter jets. The unexplainable sighting sparked his interest in UFOs, which the four-time MVP has extensively researched.

"Whatever the hell it was, I don't know," Rodgers said. "But it was definitely identified, it was definitely flying, it was definitely a large object."

"Did we just see what we think we just saw?"

Aaron Rodgers details a UFO sighting

Stream the #HardKnocks finale now on @StreamOnMax pic.twitter.com/reQgankPod
— NFL (@NFL) September 6, 2023

Finish the Wall

The Jets enter the 2023 season with sky-high expectations, but with those expectations comes a target on New York's back. Saleh, however, isn't concerned about what the nay-sayers have to say.

"They're all talking about how we gotta go through this team, and this division, and this conference, and that quarterback," Saleh told his team. "Well f—, they gotta deal with us too."

With a future Hall-of-Fame quarterback at the helm and playmakers on both sides of the ball, the Jets hope to make a legitimate run at the Super Bowl. Saleh and co. debuted a decorative wall in Florham Park, where each panel coincides with a week of the season. Images from each game will be displayed in order to visually write the season's story.

It remains to be seen what kind of story will be painted come February.

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