Is the Jets moving on from Aaron Rodgers the best move? Why NOW?
It was reported on Super Bowl Sunday by Jay Glazer and Ian Rapoport that the Jets were moving towards splitting with QB Aaron Rodgers after two seasons. The 41-year-old QB has had quite the tenure with the New York Jets, and the 2023 Offseason Dream of a potential Super Bowl with the ex-Packers QB is now over. The new regime led by GM Darren Mougey and Head Coach Aaron Glenn met with Rodgers last week and told him about his future at One Jets Drive. Rodgers hasn't confirmed if he will return to football next season, but it likely won't be with the Jets. This is a gutsy call from the new regime that could make or break the future of this franchise. Let's break this down:
The Jets:
With the new regime trying to establish a culture in the locker room, they must address the biggest concern: What is Aaron's future? And they have, as it seems, he's on the way out. This move will likely lead to a discourse for which I hope this regime is ready for. Without Rodgers, the QB room has Tyrod Taylor and Jordan Travis. With Tyrod in the quarterback room, you have a proven quarterback who will give you a few good games with prominent leadership skills. However, Travis is where things could get interesting. He had an excellent last season in college with Florida State before suffering a season-ending injury that has sidelined him until this day. He's a great talent and is definitely worth looking into.
In my opinion, I think Coach Glenn is trying to make a statement with this decision. It is a very Bill Parcells-ish decision to make a statement like this and get rid of somebody like Rodgers. As we know, Glenn has strong ties to Coach Parcells as he used to play for him with the Jets and has seemingly adopted his coaching style. It is no secret Rodgers has been the talk of the town since his arrival in 2023. The hype of his arrival did not materialize into anything but a season-ending Achilles injury on the fourth snap of the 2023 season and a 5-12 record in 2024. With his removal, it'll put players like Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner, Breece Hall, and others on notice about Glenn's lack of patience for off-the-field distractions.
However, with a decision like this, a plan must come with it. With Rodgers being on the way out, they'll have lots of money in dead cap. Rodgers was not a cheap addition, nor will he be a cheap removal. It almost makes you ask, is this worth it? The Jets will seemingly not be a championship contender and could likely be getting rid of WR Davante Adams. Will this upcoming season be competitive or a tank mission for the first overall pick? Pro Bowl and former All-Pro DL Quinnen Williams took to Twitter/X to react to the news and said, "Another rebuild year for me, I guess," and also included a thumbs down in a separate post. Williams has deactivated his account since and I'd question his future in New York. This regime is serious, we'll see how much tolerance they have for this type of behavior. However, I'd like to see the Jets target Vikings QB JJ McCarthy in a trade. He's a great talent and could've easily been the QB1 in this upcoming draft class. I don't see many other options for the Jets unless they consider trading up in the draft.
Rodgers' future:
Aaron will become the second QB former Packers QB to fail in New York. With the looming retirement decision, this feels very dicey. I expect Rodgers to have some suitors because it wasn't like he had the worst season. He was nursing injuries the whole first half of the season, but he looked different once he felt like himself. Statistically speaking, Rodgers had a similar season to Mahomes and threw more passing yards and the same amount of TDs as the MVP Josh Allen. His market will have teams like the 49ers interested. The teams without established confidence in their QB will be interested in him. However, Rodgers isn't the coachable type. He has a system and won't learn a new one. You also aren't just trading for the talent, but you are trading for the personality. You are trading for the ayahuasca, the media attention, and expectations. It'll certainly be a road to redemption for Rodgers if he chooses to return, but I wouldn't count him out. I fully expect him to resurge and find his way into the playoffs.
God, it's great to be a Jets fan. The new regime made a gutsy move, and they better hope it pays off. Mougey was in a similar situation in Denver when they dumped aging and expensive QB Russell Wilson for a younger QB in the draft, Bo Nix. Find a young quarterback and develop him properly, the fans deserve it.
