For a long time, most everyone expected former Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers to spend his entire career with the team that took a huge public relations hit by selecting him in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft. Even after Green Bay drafted Jordan Love in 2020, Rodgers winning the next two NFL MVP Awards had many wondering if he, unlike Brett Favre, would be able to ride off into the sunset with the Packers.
But then the 2022 season happened. Green Bay went 8-9 after three consecutive 13-win seasons and Rodgers had the worst year of his career. He completed 64.6% of his passes for 3,695 yards, 26 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and a 91.1 passer rating.
With their future Pro Football Hall of Famer in obvious decline and wanting to give Love a chance to prove himself, the Packers made the decision to trade Rodgers to the New York Jets after the season.
Former Green Bay Packers Quarterback Aaron Rodgers Has Been a Disaster for the Jets
When Rodgers first arrived in New York, many expected him to elevate the team to the level of Super Bowl contenders. Unfortunately, his first season with the Jets lasted just four offensive snaps. Rodgers tore his Achilles in their Week One game against the Buffalo Bills and was lost for the year.
2024 was supposed to be different. New York brought in future Hall of Famer Tyron Smith to play left tackle, they selected Rodgers’ favorite wide receiver in the NFL Draft, and their star quarterback was finally healthy.
But, if anything, this year has been worse in a lot of ways for the Jets. They fired their head coach, Robert Saleh, after a 2-3 start. A midseason trade for former Packers wide receiver Davante Adams did nothing to spark their stagnant offense either. And, of course, they fired their general manager, Joe Douglas, during the Bye Week.
Most disappointing of all, though, is that Rodgers is even worse than he was in 2022. So far this season, the four-time NFL MVP has completed 63.4% of his passes for 2,442 yards, 17 touchdowns, seven interceptions, and a passer rating of 88.9 (stats as of 11/30/2024).
Former Green Bay Packers Quarterback Aaron Rodgers May Have Played His Last Game for the New York Jets
On Sunday, Rodgers and the Jets fell to 3-9 on the season (1-6 since firing Saleh) by blowing a 21-7 lead over the Seattle Seahawks. The former Packers star quarterback completed just 21 of his 35 passes for 185 yards, two touchdowns, an interception that was returned for a touchdown, and a passer rating of 73.1.
Zack Rosenblatt, who covers the Jets for The Athletic, wrote after the game:
“When a quarterback is on his last legs, he’s usually the last one to figure it out. But the evidence is there, on the field, in the performance. It’s in the throws he’s making, the throws he’s missing, the throws he’s not even attempting.”
Rosenblatt revealed that there is talk amongst New York’s brass that Rodgers should be benched for the rest of the season. He reported that interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich stated that he does not plan on changing quarterbacks “as of today,” but that he was going to have to look at the film from the game before commenting on Rodgers’ performance any further.
As for the quarterback himself:
“Rodgers might have been angered by those questions at one point. He probably would have been justified for feeling that way — but not anymore. On Sunday, he felt more resigned to the possibility that he won’t be starting for the Jets for much longer.
“’Yeah, I don’t know,’ Rodgers said. ‘We’ll figure that out when we have those conversations.’”
That does not sound to promising for the former MVP.
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