After an utterly humiliating performance against the Buffalo Bills, the Rodgers Rodeo likely lost its last legs. But who else will the New York Jets let go with him?
An unconfirmed report suggests that the Jets will move on from both Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams this offseason. Echoing previous statements from ESPN’s Rich Cimini, the report suggests there is tremendous tension between Rodgers and Woody Johnson.
The news about Adams may be upsetting for some Jets fans (and players). While he is no longer the elite player he once was, he still ranks in the 75th percentile in yards per route run (2.14) since joining the Jets despite playing with one of the least accurate and least efficient quarterbacks in the NFL. While his $38.3 million 2025 cap hit is untenable, there was at least some hope that he would return on a modified contract.
The same report indicates that more changes are coming, specifically for “veteran players making a lot of money.” Is this really a report, though, or a statement of the obvious?
Just consider the Jets’ highest-paid players in 2024. The report already states Rodgers and Adams won’t be back. D.J. Reed, Haason Reddick, Tyler Conklin, Javon Kinlaw, Tyron Smith, and Morgan Moses are free agents, so it’s not a matter of letting them go or not. Of those players, the only ones the Jets might even attempt to re-sign are Conklin and Moses, neither of whom was overly expensive.
Players like Quinnen Williams, Garrett Wilson, Sauce Gardner, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Will McDonald, Jermaine Johnson, Quincy Williams, and John Simpson almost certainly will return.
That leaves, essentially, Allen Lazard and C.J. Mosley. There was no chance Lazard would be back after this year regardless, so cutting him would hardly be a surprise. The lone outlier, then, is Mosley, who is still under contract in 2025. Still, it seems fairly obvious that he won’t be back next season, either.
Tear it all down?
There will be those Jets fans and pundits who believe the team should completely rebuild from the roots. That would entail trading most of the team’s best players, including Quinnen Williams, Garrett Wilson, Alijah Vera-Tucker, and Sauce Gardner.
I was initially part of this group, but the more I think about it, the less it makes sense. The whole point of rebuilding is to create a roster that can sustain success. Why not keep the players who can actually help sustain success?
Wilson may ask for a trade, but the Jets have no reason to trade him. It is debatable whether he is an elite receiver, but he’s certainly a good one, the only good one the Jets would have assuming they move on from Adams. The Jets should negotiate with him and try to keep his salary in the Nico Collins range (three years, $72.75 million, $24.25 million APY).
In general, even if the Jets do end up wanting to trade these players, why not wait until the last possible year to do so? Gardner and Wilson will be entering the fourth year of their deals, and the Jets will undoubtedly pick up their fifth-year options. At the very worst, the Jets should keep them for one more year when they’re still cheap relative to their value.
Vera-Tucker will play under his fifth-year option next year, which is quite expensive ($15.3 million) to carry against the cap. But given that the Jets aren’t in a position to seriously contend next year, carrying that cap hit is doable. Guards of Vera-Tucker’s caliber are hard to find. The injury risk is real, which is why the Jets could consider trading him. However, I think it’s far more likely that they’ll extend him.
As for Williams, despite his high cap hit ($21.65 million), it makes little sense to trade him. Despite a quieter year than his last two, he is still one of the Jets’ best defensive players. Rather than letting him go, the Jets need to bring in another quality interior defender (or two, if they switch to a 3-4 defense) to complement him.
The only players really worth trading are Breece Hall and Quincy Williams. Hall is having a poor season, showing little elusiveness or top speed. While it is difficult to gain anything meaningful for a running back, perhaps some team would bet on his upside and give the Jets a mid-round pick.
Meanwhile, while the Jets might not want to move on from Quincy Williams, it may make the most sense for them. He will undoubtedly want a contract extension after this season (he’s set to make only $6 million in 2025). Since his game is predicated on speed and he’ll be 29 by the time the 2025 season starts, he is certainly not worth a large extension, particularly since his 2024 campaign has not been nearly as good as in 2023.
Furthermore, if the Jets’ new defensive scheme does not fit with Williams’ strengths, a trade may become inevitable. He is a small, light linebacker (5-foot-11, 225 pounds) who plays with reckless abandon. He has shown his flaws even in the Jets’ attacking 4-3 scheme, but in a scheme that prioritizes stronger linebackers who can hold their own at the point of attack, Williams would likely be a serious liability.
The Jets likely couldn’t get back much for him, but it could end up making sense whether or not they decide to tear everything down.
The Jets’ primary goal this offseason should be to get rid of as much bloat on the roster as possible and re-tooling through the draft. Releasing Rodgers outright is the first step in making that happen.
