By Dianna Russini, Zack Rosenblatt and Jenna West
The New York Jets are expected to move on from quarterback Aaron Rodgers, league sources tell The Athletic.
When the Jets met with coaching candidates this winter, they discussed what the organization should do with Rodgers. Team co-owner Woody Johnson listened to the feedback from the current coaching staff, which includes newly hired head coach Aaron Glenn, prompting the likely split with Rodgers, the sources said.
Rodgers, 41, has played two seasons in New York that were far from ideal. In April 2023, he came to the Jets in a stunning trade with the Green Bay Packers, where he spent 18 seasons, sparking hope in the Jets fan base. However, Rodgers tore his Achilles on the fourth play of New York’s season opener that fall, ending his season and beginning a mostly doomed tenure in New York.
The Jets went 7-10 as Rodgers worked to return late in the season, but the team fell out of playoff contention and he remained sidelined.
In 2024, the Jets’ woes went from bad to worse when the franchise fired head coach Robert Saleh after a 2-3 start to the season. They promoted defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich to head coach, but he couldn’t spark the struggling Jets, who finished at 5-12 on the year.
Rodgers played all 17 games in 2024 but finished with a 90.5 passer rating, his lowest in any season during which he played at least 15 games. He also had 3,897 passing yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
When asked about his Jets future after the end of the season, Rodgers said the team’s impending coach and general manager hires would be primary factors in the decision.
“I think everybody understands that it’s gonna come down to a GM and a coach and myself and whether we all want to do a dance together or if it’s not in the cards,” Rodgers said in early January.
How did we get here?
It has felt like the Jets and Rodgers were headed for a divorce since long before they hired the new regime of Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey. Rodgers has publicly and privately expressed his discontent with how Johnson handled himself throughout the 2024 season. To Johnson’s credit, despite any ill will he might’ve had for Rodgers taking shots at him publicly, he gave Glenn and Mougey leeway to decide on their own.
If Rodgers was going to return, it was only going to work under a few conditions — namely that Rodgers understood that no player is above the team, even him. If the Jets are fully trying to go in a new direction and build for the future, letting Rodgers go is the most sensible outcome. Rodgers is due a significant roster bonus if he returns, which would make it more expensive to keep him (for 2025 and beyond) than get rid of him.
Rodgers statistically had one of the best quarterback seasons in team history in 2024, though that didn’t tell the whole story — he was wildly inconsistent, is turning 42 in 2025 and doesn’t fit their timeline anymore. Expect wide receivers Davante Adams and Allen Lazard to follow Rodgers out the door. — Zack Rosenblatt, Jets beat writer
What’s next for the Jets?
The options aren’t especially appealing. Veteran Tyrod Taylor and injured 2024 draft pick Jordan Travis are the only quarterbacks on the roster and it’s not considered a particularly strong draft or free-agency class. Former Jet Sam Darnold will be the top free agent and maybe he’d consider returning but that feels unlikely at this juncture. Kirk Cousins will likely break free from the Atlanta Falcons in some fashion but he’s turning 37 and coming off his worst season, benched for Michael Penix Jr.
The Jets could take a swing at somebody like Justin Fields, or trade for Detroit Lions backup Hendon Hooker — who has ties to the Jets coaching staff — but neither option would indicate the Jets should be taken seriously as playoff contenders this season. The Jets have the No. 7 draft pick, which is out of the range of the top quarterback prospects in this class, too. — Rosenblatt
Required reading
(Photo: Vincent Carchietta / Imagn Images)
