NFL insider Dianna Russini of The Athletic dropped a bombshell when she reported this past weekend that quarterback Aaron Rodgers “still wants to play in 2025, just not for the New York Jets.”
During a Tuesday appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Rodgers denied that claim and said the Jets would be his “first option” if he decides to continue playing beyond the 2024 campaign.
Rodgers reportedly has been slowed by injuries to both his knees, a low ankle sprain and a hamstring issue this fall.
It remains to be seen if Jets owner Woody Johnson will want Rodgers to stick around beyond Week 18. Johnson fired head coach Robert Saleh earlier this season and then parted ways with general manager Joe Douglas during the club’s bye week. Multiple reporters have since suggested a new Jets regime will “prefer a change at quarterback,” and
some think Rodgers could struggle to find a different team if he becomes available when the new league year opens in March 2025.
The Jets can afford to designate Rodgers as a post-June 1 cut next year and split his salary-cap hits across the 2025 and 2026 seasons.
Rodgers essentially missed all of last season because of a torn Achilles and has been a below-average starter, statistically speaking, throughout the ongoing campaign. Per Pro Football Reference, the future Hall of Famer began Tuesday ranked 26th in the NFL with a 51.4 total QBR, 21st with an 88.9 passer rating and 22nd with a 43.8% passing success rate. Additionally, Rodgers has been accused of negatively impacting the Jets’ locker room as the team fell to 3-8 this fall.
Rodgers is on track to start when New York hosts the 6-5 Seattle Seahawks this coming Sunday. While it sounds like he wants to remain in the lineup through the regular-season finale as long as he’s healthy, Johnson presumably could shut Rodgers down if the Jets suffer their ninth loss of the campaign.
