The New York Jets announced on February 13th that they had recently met with quarterback Aaron Rodgers to tell him that they were moving on from him as their starting QB.
“Last week we met with Aaron and shared that our intention was to move in a different direction at quarterback,” said general manager Darren Mougey and head coach Aaron Glenn in a statement. “It was important to have this discussion now to provide clarity and enable each of us the proper time to plan for our respective futures. We want to thank him for the leadership, passion, and dedication he brought to the organization and wish him success moving forward.”
Rodgers is expected to be released after June 1st, 2025, according to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. If Rodgers is cut after that date, then his cap hit will drop from $23.5 million to $14 million, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. However, the Jets will end up taking a $35 million cap hit in 2026 if they make that decision.
“I personally want to thank Aaron for his time at the New York Jets,” said Woody Johnson, the chairman of the Jets, in a statement. “His arrival in 2023 was met with unbridled excitement, and I will forever be grateful that he chose to join us to continue his Hall of Fame career. From day one, he embodied all that it meant to be a New York Jet, embraced our fans, and immersed himself in our city. That is what I will remember most when I look back at his time here. He will always be welcome, and I wish him only the best in whatever he chooses to do next.”
Rodgers was traded to the Jets from the Green Bay Packers on April 26th, 2023 but tore his Achilles on the fourth play of the 2023-24 season, forcing him to miss the entire year. After making a full recovery, Rodgers started 17 games for the Jets last season, throwing for 3,897 yards and 28 touchdowns.
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What’s next for Rodgers?
Aaron Rodgers has two paths in front of him. The first path is retirement, and I don’t think anybody would blame him if he chose to go that route. The guy just recently turned 41 years old, making him the oldest player in the National Football League. Maybe he’s trying to emulate Tom Brady, but we need to remember that Brady is the exception, not the rule.
I don’t think this is how Aaron Rodgers wants to go out, though. I believe that he still believes that he can win a Super Bowl and ride off into the sunset the same way Peyton Manning did. With that in mind, I think Rodgers will go the other route and play next season.
The Tennessee Titans have been linked to Rodgers even before he was traded to the Jets. In 2022, it was announced that Rodgers had purchased land in Tennessee to build a house outside of Nashville. He has also gone on the record many times and said that he has a lot of love for “the great state of Tennessee.” Though the Titans have the number-one overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, they could sign Rodgers during free agency and use that pick to draft Heisman winner Travis Hunter or Penn State’s Abdul Carter rather than a quarterback.
The Las Vegas Raiders are another QB-needy team where Rodgers would be a good fit. Unlike the Titans though, they probably won’t have a chance to land one of the top two quarterbacks in this draft (Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders or Miami’s Cam Ward), so they might need to fill the QB spot through free agency. With over $85 million in effective cap space, they could sign Rodgers and still have enough money to bring in other free agents while using the sixth overall pick in the NFL Draft to replace defensive end Maxx Crosby, who could end up requesting a trade.
The Pittsburgh Steelers could use Rodgers’ services as well. He averaged more passing yards per game and touchdowns per game than Russell Wilson last season. Rodgers has also praised Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin many times throughout his career.
Nobody knows what Aaron Rodgers will do, but I have a strong feeling that he will be starting for an NFL team next season.
Where do the Jets go from here?
The Aaron Rodgers era of New York Jets football was a disaster. The first year ended four plays into the season while the second year featured losing streaks of four and five games. While some might have wanted to run it back with Rodgers one more time, it was clear that Gang Green needed to move on.
For once, the Jets actually made the right decision. It would have been a terrible idea to saddle a new head coach and GM to the previous regime’s quarterback. That is especially true when the QB is a polarizing figure like Aaron Rodgers. Parting ways with Rodgers gives the new general manager and head coach a clean slate while further establishing their authority as the leaders of the team.
With the seventh overall pick in the upcoming draft, I don’t think the Jets will be able to select a quarterback as things currently stand. Like I said before, this is a two-quarterback draft right now, and neither Sanders nor Ward will fall past the sixth pick.
The Jets have three possible paths, in my opinion. The first option, which I think is the route they go down, will see them sign a bridge quarterback in free agency. They just need somebody to hang around for a year a two to help them compete next season while also serving as a mentor for the young QB they inevitably draft in 2026. Russell Wilson, Jacoby Brissett, Jameis Winston, or Jimmy Garoppolo could all help New York vie for a playoff spot in 2025.
The second option has the Jets reaching for a quarterback with the seventh overall pick. While this could happen based on the results of the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, I’m not sold on many other QBs in this draft class outside of Sanders and Ward. Plus, reaching for a quarterback in the draft rarely works out. Just ask a Minnesota Vikings fan about Christian Ponder or a Buffalo Bills fan about EJ Manuel.
The third option will see New York not add any quarterbacks this off-season. Instead, they will re-sign Tyrod Taylor to start the year before testing out 2024 fifth-rounder Jordan Travis or 2023 undrafted free agent Adrian Martinez. I think this is more probable than option two but less likely than option one.
If I were the general manager of the New York Jets (and I’m thankful every day that I am not), I would sign a bridge quarterback to a two-year contract to provide short-term stability for the new head coach and general manager.
