We may not have seen the last of Aaron Rodgers, but his days with the New York Jets appear numbered. Speaking at his Wednesday media availability, the future Hall of Famer said he will decide before free agency whether or not he intends to play in 2025, and that he is "resigned" to the possibility that he will not return to the Jets.
Yesterday sounded like a farewell. Rodgers says he’s “just resigned” to the possibility that he will be part of sweeping changes and wants to express gratitude. #Jets https://t.co/0TfxvpEyOw
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) January 2, 2025
In a reflective mood, Rodgers expressed gratitude for the Jets as an organization and the relationships he built with the team but admitted the on-field product was disappointing.
He's right, of course. Rodgers' two years with the team were marred by injuries and ineptitude. He played a mere four snaps before suffering an Achilles tear in 2023, and the Jets stumbled to a 7-10 record. He returned to action this season, and the Jets were worse for it, losing 12 of their first 16 games and firing head coach Robert Saleh midseason.
Rodgers is doing well to put a positive face on what is unquestionably an era of staggering failure for the Jets, but the writing on the wall is clear: He has no future with the team. For that matter, it's hard to imagine he has a future with any team. He recently turned 41 years old and hasn't played for a winning team since 2021. Worse yet, he's averaging a paltry 215.2 passing yards at an ineffective 5.83 net yards per passing attempt over his last three seasons.
Still, retirement isn't necessarily an obvious decision for Rodgers. Walking away of his own volition could have serious financial ramifications, including the potential forfeiture of significant signing bonus money previously paid out by the Jets (see "The Barry Sanders rule"). If he's willing to play it cool until the Jets either cut or trade him, he'll be able to avoid any possibility of that sort of unpleasantness.
One way or another, Rodgers is almost certainly done with the Jets after this season. If he genuinely intends to keep playing, his options will be limited. If a quarterback-needy team comes out of the 2025 NFL Draft without a potential starter, then Rodgers could theoretically serve as a stopgap. Failing that, he would probably need a team with a championship window to suffer a very unfortunate offseason injury to their franchise quarterback. Still, those are both remote possibilities. Week 18 may be Rodgers' final start.
Photo Credit: © Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
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