Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets' relationship will apparently not survive what has been a tumultuous season for both quarterback and team. Rodgers wants to play somewhere else in 2025, according to The Athletic, who also reported that Jets owner Woody Johnson has lost confidence in Rodgers' ability to end the franchise's 14-year playoff drought.
It's gotten so bad that the Jets could place Rodgers on injured reserve or may even decide to bench him over the next few weeks, per the report, as the four-time league MVP has been playing through several nagging injuries. Rodgers possibly even being released by the Jets before the season ends is not entirely out of the realm of possibility.
As far as his teammates are concerned, the report stated there are some players who feel that the organization is "simply tiptoeing around the fact that Rodgers isn't the same player anymore."
Rodgers, who chose to play for the Jets last offseason following a Hall of Fame run with the Packers, has reportedly had a strained relationship with the organization for months. The general belief is that Rodgers does want to continue to play in 2025, but it will not be for the Jets, who are mired in a 3-8 season.
The 2024 season has been nothing short of a disaster for both the Jets and Rodgers, who is in the middle of what has been worst year of his 20-year career. If there has been a positive for Rodgers, it's the fact that he has not missed a game due to injury after missing virtually the entire 2023 season after injuring his Achilles in the season-opener.
It's been an even worse year for Johnson, who fired coach Robert Saleh after just five games. He recently fired longtime general manager Joe Douglas, as the Jets will now need to find replacements for both men this offseason. It's fair to wonder what qualified candidates would want to work for Johnson given his short leash (with the exception or former Jets coach Rex Ryan, who is chomping at the bit to get back on the sideline).
Despite his struggles this season, Rodgers will surely receive interest on the open market, as there is a significant shortage of quality starting quarterbacks in the NFL. For now, though, Rodgers and the Jets will continue to try to find a way to get through the final seven games of the 2024 season.
