The New York Jets may have entered the 2024 NFL season in win-now mode, but with six weeks still to play, they’ve completely reversed course, kicking off a total teardown. Head coach Robert Saleh was the first to go back in October, and on Tuesday, increasingly impatient owner Woody Johnson went even higher up, firing general manager Joe Douglas, who was set to have his contract expire after the season anyway.
And now, it appears Aaron Rodgers may possibly be following Saleh and Douglas out the door. Johnson (who reportedly sought to have Rodgers benched after just four games this year) has lost confidence in Rodgers’ ability to end Gang Green’s 14-year playoff drought, according to The Athletic, which also reported that Rodgers wants to play in 2025 but for another team. The Jets can save money by releasing Rodgers this offseason, so a split would appear to make sense for both parties.
Is it possible that Johnson can rediscover his faith in Rodgers? Sure. The Jets, after all, aren’t exactly a model of sound process. But in the event they do move on, likely by designating Rodgers a post-June 1 cut, these teams could be potential landing spots:
There is perhaps no team more desperate for something — anything — at quarterback, and while the 2025 NFL Draft figures to be their first priority for addressing the position, who says they couldn’t double dip? With more than a whopping $100 million in projected cap space, they also have the money to make big investments up front and out wide, where Rodgers would conceivably demand upgrades. Would Davante Adams‘ sour experience in Las Vegas prevent A-Rod from trying his own hand in Sin City? Maybe. But Rodgers may not have many alternatives, and Raiders coach Antonio Pierce could earn his respect as a former NFL colleague and California native. Star rookie tight end Brock Bowers is another draw.
Besides the storybook parallels to Brett Favre, who also went from Packers legend to Jets and Vikings rental to close his career, this one registers as sneakily plausible. The Vikings would surely prefer to re-sign current starter Sam Darnold, who’s fared reasonably well under Kevin O’Connell, but what if Darnold opts for a better-paying gig in 2025 free agency, confidence restored, ready to depart the lurking shadow of first-round pick J.J. McCarthy? Minnesota might still want a placeholder as McCarthy returns from knee surgery, and Rodgers would be getting a ready-made lineup with the best offensive line, skill weapons and defense he’s had in years. Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was in the San Francisco 49ers‘ front office when the Niners reportedly tried to land Rodgers in 2021, and he’d also be betting on the vengeance factor, allowing Rodgers to play the Packers at least twice.
After almost two seasons with Will Levis at quarterback, the Titans may still be unsure of what they have in the former second-rounder — so much so that the gifted but erratic gunslinger might benefit from taking a seat. With veteran skill weapons, including Tony Pollard and Calvin Ridley, a solid defense, a very winnable division, more than $65 million in projected salary cap space and an offensively geared head coach in Brian Callahan they could be one of the few teams with an apparent quarterback need and enough proven talent to lure Rodgers at this stage of his career. Like Adofo-Mensah in Minnesota, general manager Ran Carthon was also part of the 49ers regime that eyed a possible Rodgers trade years ago.
1. Retirement
Let’s face it: If Rodgers doesn’t return for a third season with the Jets, he probably won’t return at all. In some ways, it took great pains for the one-time star to even leave the Green Bay Packers in 2023. Plus, New York is specifically where he wanted to be. The Jets’ subsequent catering to his every desire, pouring resources into ex-Packers allies like Nathaniel Hackett and Allen Lazard, confirmed as much. It’s one thing to start all over again. It’s another to do it at age 41, coming off back-to-back injury-riddled seasons, and likely for a team that either won’t want to shoulder his level of power or isn’t properly equipped to make a title run. Rodgers may desire a celebratory sendoff, but like Tom Brady after his sluggish finale, he may realize that time is simply past, calling it a career rather than subjecting himself to additional turmoil.
