After reports Sunday that Aaron Rodgers‘ time in New York was likely on the brink, the franchise confirmed Thursday that the Jets will not bring back the Packers great.
Rodgers had a solid if unspectacular 2024 season, throwing for 28 touchdowns and 3,897 yards while playing every game, a year after his notorious Achilles tear allowed him all of four snaps in 2023. He compiled a career-low 48.0 QBR, good for 25th in the NFL.
But with Rodgers, on-field performance is never all you get.
The extracurriculars, from politics to arrogance to his frosty relationship with the owner, to say nothing of Rodgers’ $37.5M salary due next season, were more than the Jets bargained for. Or maybe not. In any case, they’d had it.
Before Thursday’s announcement, newly minted head coach Aaron Glenn, whom Colin Cowherd characterized as “intense” and uncompromising, reportedly told Rodgers to attend all of training camp and abstain from appearances on The Pat McAfee Show if he wanted to remain with the team.
Well, the divorce is now official, bringing with it all the formal sugarcoating one might expect.
Woody Johnson Enshrines Aaron Rodgers in New York Jets Archives
“I personally want to thank Aaron for his time at the New York Jets,” says Johnson in a statement released by the team. “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.”
It certainly was, wasn’t it, with the Jets listed among the Super Bowl favorites in the preseason after the signing. They remained a dark horse ahead of 2024 with Rodgers’ pending return from injury.
What followed was a 5-12 disaster that only darkened as the weeks went on, and certainly not a lot to be grateful for. Granting the then-39-year-old a 3-year, $112.5M contract in 2023 is no doubt a choice the franchise regrets.
Rodgers’ Hall of Fame Career did not continue very long in New York.
Johnson continues, “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.”
Perhaps Johnson isn’t wrong on that count, if being a Jet means, as it has for a while, participating in a cycle of hullabaloo and mediocrity. From Geno Smith to Sam Darnold and Zach Wilson, the team has endured decades of quarterback catastrophe. And perhaps it isn’t just luck of the draw: Smith and Darnold have had success elsewhere.
In Rodgers, the franchise hoped they had snared a savior. And while he had the best season of any Jets QB in recent history, it was a far cry from what fans anticipated. Frankly, Rodgers looked borderline decrepit at times–a statue in the pocket, ill-confident in his throws.
Johnson reportedly ordered him benched in Week 6 after he threw three picks in a London loss to Minnesota.
Perhaps the Jets just have a thing for calling dibs on former Green Bay passers enjoying the geriatric phase of their careers. In his single season with New York, Brett Favre led the league with 22 interceptions.
So, yes, it was a very Jets thing to do to sell out for a Super Bowl-winning, future Hall of Famer and have it all go to hell.
“Something Special”–Johnson’s Choice of Words Gets Even Stranger
The Rodgers Era, if you can call it that, his single season plus four snaps with the franchise, did not bring home a second Jets Super Bowl, nor resurrect the ghost of Joe Namath–who, at 81 years young, remains the best stroke of luck the team has seen.
But Johnson encompassed Rodgers in a fond characterization of the Jets’ football pedigree. “Going way, way back to Super Bowl III, to be a part of something special would definitely help you go down in the history of our organization. Already have 18 years in an incredibly iconic organization and it would be fun to be a part of the history of this one, as well.”
Did you have fun, Jets fans?
If anything, what Rodgers will be remembered for in New York is a torn left Achilles and, despite his claims of a good relationship, rumors that he helped get Robert Saleh fired mid-season. Not that the fanbase was in love with Saleh, who coached the team to a 20-36 record before getting canned and was probably on his way out anyway.
After Jeff Ulbrich was promoted to head coach after five games in 2024, the Jets defense, the team’s one strong suit, imploded en route to a 3-9 mark the rest of the way.
“There’s something special about playing in the city, for a team like this with a storied franchise,” Johnson proclaimed. Special might not be quite the word, but certainly the Jets have an uncanny ability to self-combust. While some fans saw Rodgers as the best shot at contending in 2025, and are upset with Johnson’s decision, it is hard to imagine this story with a happy ending.
For now, undecided on his football future, Rodgers can go shoot the bull with McAfee. And maybe Glenn can start a new chapter in franchise history.
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