Jets HBO 'Hard Knocks' 2023: Best Fan Tweets, Memes from Episode 5

The New York Jets have sky-high expectations entering the 2023 season in large part because of the signing of Aaron Rodgers.

The real question is whether those expectations are high enough in the sky to see a UFO.

Which is something the quarterback is apparently familiar with.

The most notable moment of Tuesday's episode of HBO's Hard Knocks was Rodgers telling the camera about the time he saw a UFO with college teammate Steve Levy. "It was like a scene out of Independence Day" the future Hall of Famer said while recalling seeing fighter jets that "seemed to be chasing this object."

They weren't the only jets chasing something, as many of the football Jets were pursuing roster spots with cut week taking center stage in the final episode of the season.

Hard Knocks traditionally focuses on players who viewers became familiar with during the course of multiple episodes not making the roster, but the HBO show went a different direction this year.

Undrafted free agent wide receivers Jason Brownlee and Xavier Gipson both made the team, and their friendship was spotlighted in an emotional moment. Elsewhere, Tanzel Smart did not make the 53-man roster but still stuck around as a member of the practice squad.

After the looming roster moves were made, the episode took a lighter tone with features on Sauce Gardner signing bottles of sauce at Buffalo Wild Wings, Dalvin Cook finding his footing on his new team and the Jets going to see MJ the Musical, which is based on Michael Jackson, on Broadway.

But now it's time for attention to turn toward the actual games.

Head coach Robert Saleh gave one more moving speech about the team's mindset, Rodgers shared a bit more of his veteran wisdom with the season approaching, and star players like Garrett Wilson and Gardner are ready to take the next step.

Whether that ends in the Super Bowl the Jets are envisioning remains to be seen. But it all starts with Monday's season opener against the division-rival Buffalo Bills.