Well, it appears that the loudest Aaron Rodgers critics were right. Those who so loudly asserted that his second career wouldn’t work with the New York Jets appear to be vindicated.
After all, many Jets fans who feverishly defended Rodgers on his way in are now booting him out the door with even more energy.
ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio was just one of the many who screamed about the situation two years ago, wondering aloud if Rodgers could handle the New York media’s overall fervor. He even mentioned how strange it was that Rodgers, a man not known to play by the establishment rules, was set to play for an owner whose family fortune comes from Johnson & Johnson, a company that was firmly in the COVID-19 “immunization” mix.
Thanks to various reports suggesting the Rodgers-Jets marriage is all but over due to a rift between quarterback Aaron Rodgers and chairman Woody Johnson, all the rage in Jets land is comforting for the majority of fans. The reason why “comforting” works so well simply boils down to reality.
Jets fans have had enough of Aaron Rodgers—already. After 16 games, they’re seemingly done with him. They’re exhausted, frustrated, and hellbent on the next shiny item that provides sound offseason sleep.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini recently conducted a poll on X (formerly Twitter) to gauge the fanbase’s current opinion of the veteran quarterback. As of 9:24 a.m. ET on Jan. 3, 66.9% of Jets fans don’t want Aaron Rodgers back in 2025 (over 6,000 total votes).
As I already stated, Florio and the rest of his vocal band were correct in their assessment of the entire situation. Right? I mean, how else could one view it?
Man, oh man …
This fetal position mindset is downright incredible and befuddling, considering the current landscape. At the same time, yes, I get it: The overwhelming ire of New York Jets fans usually goes to those on which they mostly pin their hopes and dreams. Anger and frustration over 14 playoff-less seasons usually spotlight one individual the most, simply due to human nature.
Nothing makes more sense.
It seems a bit strange to me, though, especially in this particular situation, regarding a surefire Hall of Fame quarterback who hasn’t fallen on his face this year.
Are the New York Jets and their fans actually in a position to be this snooty? When have we reached a level in which “we’re far from beggars because we get to choose, and we always choose wisely?”
I may have missed the “Jets are now an elite franchise” meeting, so the idea of no quarterback plan is a better one than Aaron Rodgers at the helm. But alas, I understand why Jets fandom is once again going down this bitter road—one that seeks a “fresh start.”
Fans must feel capable of keeping their chin above water and possessing something to grasp tightly. Therefore, hopes and dreams of an unnamed savior to come remain the most fruitful possibility. Again, I fully understand it—the frustration, anger, desperation, etc.—but I cannot wrap my head around how fevered this anti-Rodgers pitch has become.
Perhaps more importantly, I cannot grasp how we have not yet learned our lesson, at least to a more nuanced degree.
Jets fans villainized Ryan Fitzpatrick in 2016 more than John Rocker in his mouthing-off prime (exaggeration, of course)—just a year after Jets fans hailed him as a scrappy, underdog-type hero.
Sam Darnold was once the kid behind the rampant “Suck for Sam” tagline, and his first NFL pass attempt resulted in a pick-six for the Detroit Lions. No matter though, because he rallied the troops en route to a Week 1 victory and represented the Jets’ bright future.
That was until he was no longer the future. Now, he’s the Minnesota Vikings present.
Zach Wilson dazzled the scouts with his sheer arm talent en route to top-two NFL draft status, and he endeared Joe Douglas and Robert Saleh enough for the Jets to tab him as the next great hope of the franchise. Hey, so his rookie season wasn’t all that great; it happens.
Entering the 2022 season, the BYU product was young and fresh and still represented the future. Despite the struggles, at that point, his name still connected with a “fresh start” in the collective mind of Jets fans.
That was until, of course, the next “fresh start” and face tied with “hopes and dreams” came along: Mr. Aaron Rodgers. Of course, we know the Rodgers story, as it’s still fresh in our minds.
Where the story goes so wrong is how a great chunk of the Jets fanbase feels about the man. It’s understandable that a small chunk of fandom would howl at the anti-Rodgers moon like a lunatic, but to approach 70% is both asinine and revealing. (Then again, these are Jets fans on social media, not just Jets fans.)
Acting this nutty, in this specific situation, only encourages Woody Johnson to travel down the dead-end road we’ve always pined for him to avoid.
Continuing to push Aaron Rodgers away from the New York Jets—at this very moment—is as silly as it gets. Why in the world would any Jets fan want the Rodgers decision not to be the new regime’s alone?
After all, fans are especially irate with Woody courtesy of the recent revelations per the near-Survivor Series Jets writing team at The Athletic, yet a good chunk of that irate crowd would love to see the Jets Chairman pull the plug on the Aaron Rodgers project this very moment—before the new head coach and general manager are even in-house.
On its face, there’s nothing wrong with that sentiment. In fact, a great argument can be made that the Jets would be better served to move forward without Rodgers in tow.
But why, oh why, are the Jets (and/or Jets fans) even flirting with the idea of making a decision now?
A great number of variables are unknown at this point, such as the potential quarterbacks that could replace him, where the Jets are selecting in the 2025 NFL draft, etc.), so why has this become such a polarizing and ballyhooed story?
Can we please at least wait until we know who the 2025 New York Jets are first? I mean, my goodness, gracious, we have no idea what the future of this team even is yet, and most importantly, who’s leading the way?
The problem with such stubborn verbiage about shipping Rodgers out of town arrives when gauging the broader picture. Once realized, it’s understood that there’s no reason to carelessly push this guy out the door.
There’s absolutely zero advantage to having and expressing such a vehement opinion in this particular situation. And there’s no reason Woody should ever think about cutting bait (and/or controlling the narrative) until he first hires the new regime.
What is the point of the overriding hostility towards this man?
When analyzing Rodgers’s season, there’s been some good, some bad, some pretty, and some ugly. Throwing for 3,623 yards and 24 touchdowns to 10 interceptions on 63% passing doesn’t begin to tell much of the story.
Yet those numbers are worthy to consider given the current circumstances:
- Woody fired the head coach just five games into the season.
- The interim head coach is way in over his head, and these Jets are arguably the worst-coached team ever witnessed.
- Rodgers is coming off an Achilles injury, only to steadily improve throughout the season.
- Rodgers has also gotten healthier throughout the season—regarding those mysterious early-season injuries he sustained. Shouldn’t age become more of a concern when a player regresses during a campaign?
When watching the film, there isn’t anything out of the ordinary with Rodgers. Yes, he’s missed passes this year. The Garrett Wilson missed fade in the end zone against Seattle, and the Kenny Yeboah on-the-run throw in Buffalo are two that immediately come to mind.
Is this groundbreaking? Or could it be that Rodgers is actually human—something Jets fans didn’t expect when the man took the field to a hero’s welcome while draped in red, white, and blue on Sept. 11, 2023?
The failure to reasonably control expectations is what truly plagues the New York Jets-Aaron Rodgers situation.
Go ahead: Put on some Sam Darnold tape with the Minnesota Vikings, and you’ll find the same thing. NFL quarterbacks will always miss targets nearly every game, and they’ll never be perfect when progressing through reads on every play—the elite players included.
Rodgers not throwing to Wilson is as commonplace as Darnold missing the best wideout in the NFL, Justin Jefferson. Yet, the emotional responses would have you believe otherwise.
It’s reached such a new low that a receiver who’s fourth in the NFL in targets—with 149, five more than Jefferson and three fewer than CeeDee Lamb—has resulted in extra venom spewed in Aaron Rodgers’s direction. (Those who can do math can figure out that Garrett Wilson’s targets with vs. without Davante Adams are near-identical when the absurd 23-target game in London is taken away, but let’s not ruin the fun.)
Quite interestingly, however, Darnold tape will reveal much more.
The great difference is the atmosphere in which Darnold is playing within.
The best play-caller and QB coach in the NFL, Kevin O’Connell, schemes open players for his quarterback at every turn. He’s also so far ahead of the curve, whereas a giant chunk of the NFL stubbornly exists in the past, that the Jets’ only correct path forward is transparent.
Finding the head coach who checks the leadership and innovation (in the modern game) boxes is the only thing that matters right now. Personnel decisions should not even be close to being considered until that guy, that next football leader(s), is found.
In all seriousness, though, would the 66.9% of Jets fans who want to move on from Rodgers still want to do so if Mike Vrabel is hired with the intent of keeping the future Hall of Fame signal-caller for 2025? I’d be stunned if that number remains at 66.9%.
Bill Belichick, the same man who contacted the Jets about their head coaching vacancy, has been staunch in his pro-Rodgers analysis this season. About a month ago, Belichick told the world that he “believes Rodgers will bounce back in 2025,” and he continues seeing the same thing on film that I do: Aaron Rodgers can still play this game at a high level.
“It’s really hard when you’re not on the inside,” Belichick told Jim Gray per SiriusXM. ” … With Aaron [Rodgers], I’m not sure. You still see the snap in his throws, you still see the ball come out quickly and accurately. Maybe [he’s] a little less mobile than he was, but it doesn’t look like it should be that limiting of a factor.”
The translation is simple: The New York Jets are horribly coached.
“There certainly has been a lot of turbulence with the Jets this year, and it’s probably affected a lot of people, not just him [Rodgers],” Belichick added.
While evaluation is always proper, analyzing on a curve is the only correct way to do so. This is why every Jet on film this season should catch at least somewhat of a break (aside from the hustle/motor aspect), courtesy of just how absurdly coached they are as a football team.
These guys are playing football from an obscene disadvantage.
The lack of offensive innovation is downright appalling. And sure, Rodgers’s influence on that end must be discussed.
How stubborn has he been in wanting to run his high-risk, high-reward offense that demands the receivers read defensive leverage in real-time simultaneously to him? Just how involved was he in keeping Nathaniel Hackett‘s job safe this past season?
I don’t know the answers to those questions, but I do know Rodgers would never reject authentic innovation. He’d never say no to proper coaching that places him and his teammates in more advantageous positions.
The idea that those questions exist (i.e. how much is Rodgers to blame for the lack of offensive innovation?) drills right down to the matter at hand: They exist because the proper leadership is absent.
In a world where Rodgers asserts too much, a Bill Parcells-type wouldn’t take such nonsense and apply it to the field. Parcells would also certainly employ an offensive mind that would put Rodgers and his offensive teammates in the best position to thrive.
Oh, and for the “Rodgers is a net-negative for the culture” crowd: What are you, nuts?
Listen, I get it: Rodgers the person isn’t for everybody. He assertively does and says things that make him an extremely polarizing individual. But claiming that he’s not a sound football leader has to be the most idiotic thing ever uttered.
Those who do so simply out themselves as foolish.
It’s only that he isn’t perfect.
There isn’t a single Super Bowl-winning quarterback who’s a terrible leader—no less a four-time NFL MVP. The fact that he returned to the Jets so quickly after the devastating Achilles injury in 2023 is something that deserves much more praise and attention.
In the first episode of Netflix’s “Aaron Rodgers: Enigma,” viewers were treated to the Jets’ injured quarterback’s speech to the team on the eve of their Week 4 matchup against the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Is it just a coincidence that the team played perhaps their most inspired game after that speech? Is it simply a coincidence that Zach Wilson played the most confident and surprising game of his Jets career after Rodgers’s words to the team?
Several weeks later, after Wilson had already fallen flat, he torched the playoff-bound Houston Texans shortly after Robert Saleh finally gave him the green light by saying, “Let it rip,” via the public discourse—something that never happened previously, courtesy of a close-to-the-chest, defensive-led, conservative game plan the Jets usually deployed.
My only wish is that this was the mindset in early 2021.
Let’s be honest: If the Jets were 8-8 or 7-9 instead of 4-12, Rodgers’s current stat line would be hailed as a success.
In fact, let’s list out the ills that fly in the face of potential Jets quarterback success this season:
- The Jets defense is disastrous, ranking 27th in DVOA. Not surprisingly, the Jets’ defense ranks fifth in yards against per game, but this is directly related to game flow and the coach staff’s archaic vision for the team. (It’s the same reason I labeled the 2023 Jets defense as a “good” not “great” defense and vastly “overrated.” No matter your thoughts on that matter, the 2024 unit is far worse than the previous season, particularly up front.)
- The Jets rushing attack is an embarrassment, ranking 31st in the NFL with 90.2 yards per game.
- The Jets’ lack of accountability has been troublesome since Saleh arrived in 2021.
- The Jets’ lack of offensive innovation has also been horrifying for the past decade and change. No matter how stubborn Rodgers may or may not have been in wanting to run his offense, pretending that he introduced ideas that led to the unit’s overall detriment does not line up with pre-Rodgers life in Florham Park, NJ.
So, here’s a veteran quarterback who’s coming off an Achilles, a future Hall of Famer who’s leading a team with the worst coaching in the league, a defense that downright stinks, and a rushing attack that has no clue about how to do a damn thing correctly.
Honestly, is this actual grounds for Woody Johnson and over two-thirds of Jets fans to want to boot Aaron Rodgers out of town as quickly as possible, without even understanding who the next regime is first?
Let’s also be honest with ourselves regarding certain correlations.
After Rodgers and the offense started the season slowly, they began to pick up steam midway through the season, right around Week 11. Not coincidentally, their Week 11 loss to the Indianapolis Colts featured Olu Fashanu‘s first career start at left tackle.
The Jets began a four-game streak in which they scored 21+ points with Fashanu at left tackle and Morgan Moses on the other side. Suddenly, there were no weak spots up front.
In the four games Fashanu and Moses bookended the offensive line, from Week 11-15, New York rushed for 388 yards on 85 carries. This results in 4.56 yards per carry, well above their season mark of 4.2.
Let’s not pretend those four opponents presented unusually easy rush defenses, either. Yes, the Indianapolis Colts’ 26th-ranked rush defense and Jacksonville Jaguars’ 23rd-ranked unit is hardly stellar, but the Seattle Seahawks (18th) and Miami Dolphins (9th) are both in the top 20 of the NFL.
While it was hardly a byproduct of easy competition only, the point is obvious: The Jets suddenly had no porous OL anchor dragging down the entire offense (cough, cough, Tyron Smith). It led to a semblance of a productive offense, even if the innovation that fits modern times by way of scheming players open was still nonexistent.
The very same game that saw the Jets offense revert to its putrid self—a 19-9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams—marked the moment Fashanu went down for the season. Do fans actually need me to break out the film on Max Mitchell and Carter Warren, or are we all on the same page in knowing just how poorly each player has played?
The drop-off from Fashanu to Mitchell is as wide as a gap could possibly be, with the Moses-to-Warren drop-off also not looking too pretty. A singular, devastatingly weak spot in the offensive line sinks an entire offense.
By no means should those drop-offs entirely excuse Rodgers’s production, but it represents an absurd talent/production decline in this league, not to mention such an uphill battle for a quarterback. It’s also insane to ignore the Achilles injury and how it usually takes a full season of actual play for any player to recover.
Rodgers has put up some ugly throws on tape this season, and he’s also put forth some befuddling decisions on the field. Interestingly and fairly, he’s also made some throws that very few humans can make even in today’s game (see the Davante Adams touchdown along the end zone’s back line against the Los Angeles Rams).
How many quarterbacks are making this play? (Oh yeah, Fashanu was still playing left tackle at this point, by the way.)
At the end of the day, fans will passionaitely blame the perceived “hero” above everybody else. Their frustration and anger will be directed toward those who were supposed to lead the way.
At some point, however, we need to take the smarter route.
Aaron Rodgers wasn’t just Robert Saleh’s hope of a football hero—with the team being just “one quarterback away,” a twisted idea that turned into a disconcerting full-blown narrative—but he was also the New York Jets fans’ idea of a hero. While Saleh viewing him in that regard is a football sin, fans will always be fans—and never should they be demonized or dressed down because an executive might actually listen to them.
Still, taking a step back to put things in proper perspective is always worthwhile, and in this case, whether or not Aaron Rodgers is the New York Jets quarterback in 2025 is small potatoes. It hardly matters—right now—when considering the truly important goal of this offseason: finding the right football leaders (head coach and general manager).
Eventually, that decision will matter greatly; but now is not even close to the time, and eliminating him from potential candidacy before we even reach that point is counterproductive.
With that in mind, if New York Jets fans truly want the organization to get it right moving forward, they’ll say this …
“Hey, let’s let the new regime decide Aaron Rodgers’s fate. If they want him to play quarterback in 2025, cool. If they don’t, also cool. As long as it’s not an emotional decision that’s made prior to the new regime taking over, I’m good with it because it means we’re finally forging a proper fresh start.”
Only then can Jets fans have legitimate hopes and dreams—as opposed to the impossible-hero mirages that have come in the past (Ryan Fitzpatrick, Sam Darnold, Zach Wilson, and lastly, Aaron Rodgers).
Don’t push Aaron Rodgers away. There’s no reason to be so emotionally driven when we don’t yet even know who the 2025 New York Jets are.
Great organizations keep all options on the table for as long as possible.
