Former Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has announced that he does want to play again in 2025, and he wants to remain with the New York Jets. This news came amidst rumors that the four-time NFL MVP would retire after the 2024 season, which has been the worst of his career.
The Jets, who also boast former Packers players Davante Adams, Allen Lazard, and Anders Carlson (yes, really) are just 3-7 in a season that has been nothing but turmoil. Rodgers has completed 62.4% of his passes, which would be his lowest in a full season since 2019 (62.0%) and the third lowest of his career. He has thrown for 2,258 yards, 15 touchdowns, seven interceptions, and an 86.8 passer rating, which would be the lowest of his career if the season ended today.
Former Green Bay Packers Quarterback Aaron Rodgers Has Put the New York Jets in a Bad Spot Financially
Needless to say, Rodgers has been far from the quarterback the Jets thought they were getting when they traded for him. He missed all but four snaps of the 2023 season with a torn Achilles and has been average at the very best this season.
Worst of all, at least for New York, the team is not winning. Despite getting Rodgers players that he wanted on the team, such as Adams and Lazard, the Jets offense is stagnant and uninspiring.
Many fans in New York were hoping he would retire after the season.
The problem, though, is that the contract that Rodgers signed with the Jets, which was praised at the time for being so team-friendly, has actually put New York in a position where they can’t move on from him even if they wanted to.
Next season will be the final year of the three-year $112.5 million he signed after the trade. In 2025, Rodgers will carry a cap hit of $23.5 million, which frankly is not that bad for a quarterback. However, he also carries a dead cap hit of $49 million, which means that it would cost the Jets twice as much money to get rid of him than it would to keep him.
NFL Insider Names Former Green Bay Packers Coach Mike McCarthy as a Possible Candidate for the New York Jets’ Vacancy
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While the Packers have a great deal of security in that they have a franchise quarterback and successful head coach, Rodgers and the Jets do not. Elsewhere in the NFL, current Dallas Cowboys (and former Green Bay) head coach Mike McCarthy is believed to not be offered a new contract when the 2024 season ends.
With “Big Mike” likely looking for a new job for next season, Jeff Howe of The Athletic suggests he could be a good fit in New York to replace the fired Robert Saleh:
“McCarthy, who coached the Green Bay Packers for 13 years before his five-year stint with the Cowboys, may not be on many short lists, but he could make sense for the New York Jets because of his history with quarterback Aaron Rodgers. There’s also no need to worry about the way the 61-year-old would handle the pressure of the New York spotlight, which is a necessary personality trait for that media market.”
Obviously, Packers fans are familiar with the history that McCarthy and Rodgers have, both good and bad. While they won a Super Bowl together, that was nearly 15 years ago and happened well before the future Hall of Fame quarterback played a role in having the head coach fired in Green Bay.
While it certainly would make for interesting headlines, one has to think the Jets will look elsewhere.
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