Add Aaron Rodgers‘ retirement watch to the list of storylines that may drag on throughout the 2025 NFL offseason.
In a Wednesday news conference, the New York Jets quarterback remained noncommittal about his future.
“I’m gonna take some time after the year unless I get released right away,” Rodgers said. “But I’ll take some time, whether or not I wanna play.”
It’s not surprising that Rodgers may dilly-dally. After his last season with the Green Bay Packers in 2022, he spent four days in a “darkness retreat” before deciding he still wanted to play.
Rodgers recently told ESPN’s Pat McAfee he would prefer to stay in New York. However, the Jets seemed prepared to move on from the 41-year-old, whose play has declined this season.
Through 14 starts, Rodgers and the Jets are 4-10. Rodgers has posted a below-average 90.8 passer rating. Additionally, he has passed for 3,255 yards, 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
To his credit, he showed why he’s a four-time MVP over his past two games. Against the Jaguars and Dolphins, he completed 62.3% of his passes for 628 yards and four TDs.
Rodgers’ uptick may not change the Jets’ mind. The QB is in the second year of a three-year, $112.5M contract with four void years. Per Over the Cap, his 2026 cap number ($63M) would be the largest on the team if New York keeps him next season.
Releasing Rodgers with a post-June 1 designation in 2025 would incur $14M in dead money and yield $9.5M in cap savings, via Over the Cap. Cutting ties with an aging, expensive QB still makes more sense for the Jets, despite the cap charges.
Considering his future with the Jets seems over, that raises questions about whether there would be a massive market for Rodgers, which could influence his decision.
