Excuse Jordan Whitehead if the New York Jets safety feels like he’s been here before.

As a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020, Whitehead saw his team acquire a legendary quarterback to improve the offense and complement an elite defense. They went on to win Super Bowl LV that season. The Jets are working from the same script in 2023.

Then, the quarterback was Tom Brady in Tampa Bay. Now, the quarterback is Aaron Rodgers in New York.

“It was kind of the same situation I fell into when I was with the Bucs,” Whitehead says. “We had a great defense the year before and we just needed one piece that was missing.”

The Jets had a top-5 defense in 2022. But the offense wilted down the stretch when New York lost its final six games to finish 7-10 and out of the playoffs for the 12th consecutive season.

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A major culprit on offense was quarterback Zach Wilson, who seemed overwhelmed for the second straight season. So, the Jets turned to the Buccaneers’ playbook from three years ago. Enter Rodgers, one of the select few mentioned in the same breath as Brady as the greatest quarterback of all-time.

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

Brady was 42 years old and had won six Super Bowl championships with the New England Patriots when he proved to be the final piece for the Bucs in 2020. Rodgers is 39 with one Super Bowl title with the Green Bay Packers on his resume.

The similarities are striking. And Whitehead feels “the same vibe that I did with the Bucs.” Now it’s up to Rodgers and the Jets to complete the happy ending and win their first Super Bowl since 1969.